Surviving the Beast Wars
by TheCrazyGhostLady
Summary: In which a last second wish goes a little too far...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers: Beast Wars!**

* * *

 **Prologue:**

 _A young woman sighed as she turned off the TV, clearly aggravated with the new channel she had just watched. With a few choice words, she then turned off the surround sound and headed to her room. "This world is friggin' nuts" she muttered and rubbed her temples "but oh well, it's the world I live in" and changed into her last article of sleep clothing. Content, she burrowed under her sheets, the only covers on her bed as it was a hot summer day. But after lying there, she suddenly reminded herself "It's still not too late…hmmm" and her hand flew to her phone. With eager movements, she pulled up one of her phones' many applications: Youtube. Swift fingers typed in her search and a list of videos were on the display. Tapping on a random one, she watched with a small smile and wistful eyes as the characters from a world almost as old as she was (by thirteen months) went about interacting with one another. It wasn't as if she actually grew up with the show, however at the chance to observe them…she found herself immediately attached. She continued to watch numerous videos until her eyelids got heavy. With a yawn, she closed out all the phones' windows and then finally turned off the phone itself. After placing the cellular device back in its spot on her nightstand, the young woman adjusted some more. And in finding a comfortable position, she started to fall asleep. As her consciousness slipped, a sad smirk etched itself onto her face as a last second thought played in her mind "That would be something…"._

 _She fell away from the world. Oblivious to where she would wake up the morning after…_

 **Chapter 1** : **Entering the Beast Wars**

The bed was significantly softer than I had remembered it, so much so that I continued to lay on the soft surface. However, there were a couple of things that bothered me: one being that it was quite hot; the other was that earthy scent. Don't get me wrong, I loved natural scents but something about what I sniffed was just off. My eyes shot open, and sure enough, I wasn't in bed –or indoors for that matter. I grumbled and rubbed my eyes. After seeing that my vision refused to show any more detail I continued to rub my eyes. _What the Holy Hand Grenade?_ Everything was…different. As in 'low quality' dimensions different. _This is one lucid dream I got goin' on here, I can feel the humidity and everything –wait, it's too humid…am I in a rain forest?!_ I slowly got up onto my feet and started walking, with the reminder that I needed to find a way to wake up and soon. In the meantime, I enjoyed studying the dimensions I saw everything in, _this all seems familiar_. There was plenty of shade, the sun easily blocked out by the densely packed trees of the _tropical_ forest I trudged through. As I walked on, I eventually came across a break in the dense forest. That break being a good-sized river. I then took that as an opportunity to look up into the sky. The sun shone brilliantly and almost…comforted me. I was so dazzled I failed to notice that my legs wobbled violently and I fell on my butt, which rather hurt because the ground was mainly jagged rocks and pebbles. I grimaced as I stood back up while rubbing my tender posterior, my eyes quickly set back on the sun and then to the river. Which looked deep and violent enough to swallow me? I sighed dejectedly and was going to turn around and attempt to retrace my steps. **But** the rustling of the bushes some short distance away from me made me pause with the stillness of a statue…I don't think I even breathed at that moment. So what did I do? (I'll give you a hint: something stupid).

"Hello-?" I called _but_ immediately regret it, especially when the rustling in the bushes got louder and with a peek over my shoulder, something rather large emerged shortly after. That something was a **humongous** fire ant. I didn't scream, but rather let out a suppressed squeak and hauled ass toward the river, while sure to give a loud 'NOPE!' –I mean sure I thought I was dreaming, but come on who wouldn't run from those pincers? And besides that, my hopes of at least giving a dignified chase were cut short when I plummeted into the river like a panicked lemming. And boy, that water felt nice! Well, except for being tugged around violently by the current that is. I probably would have drowned in less than a minute or been impaled by a piece of river debris, but that didn't happen as a -what sounded like a very small 'hovercraft'- snatched me right out of the current. They carried me a good twenty feet or so. Curious as to what, or who, saved my sorry ass so quickly -and conveniently- I looked directly up. And right into two bright red optics. I was as good as brain-dead up until my 'savior' planted me firmly on the ground, where I then had the wonderful opportunity to at least examine what appeared to be some dude that appeared to be a combination of robot and…ant? _Robot and…ant? It can't be! I have to be dreaming for sure…_ I stared in dumb silence before I heard movement behind me, which I promptly threw myself behind the ant-robot guy while my thoughts raced wildly, _oh dear God, who else is going to emerge from those bushes? Another Transformer? A famous celebrity? My childhood nemesis-?!_

A shape emerged from the bushes, and _cackled_. It appeared to be a giant metal spider. I gaped, _another Transformer it is then! Wait, this can't be a coincidence: the dimensions, Inferno showing up…_ my mouth dropped even lower, _and that's Tarantulas…this can't be_. There was a snarl in front me and I was about to collapse once I heard Infernos' voice. His actual _voice_ :

"What business do you have here _spider_?" it was deep and menacing. And to follow it up, there was an eerie chuckle.

"I wanted to investigate the anomaly…" there was a pause as 'the spider' eyed me "I never expected it to bring a delectable snack"

My face went white as I looked up into the terrifying face of my shield "She is to be taken immediately to the Royalty, and there is to be _no delay_. Do I make myself clear?" And damn it, Inferno did a fine job at it.

I then seized that time to speak, a little relieved that _Inferno_ had my back "so…".

Sets of eyes were on me.

"If I accompany you to see this 'Royalty', you can guarantee my safety?" I spoke directly to the ant, knowing for certain that he wouldn't let Tarantulas touch me. And even if I had thought the whole thing was a dream and I would wake up any minute, I was beyond thankful that Inferno nodded a confirmation. That was all I needed. So with a small shrug, I leered at Tarantulas (who was twitching his mandibles) and flipped him the bird. Although it seemed crazy to side with the equally terrifying figure in front of me, it was my best option… well, not really, I eyed the forest behind me with the strongest _urge_ to start running again. For all I knew Megatron would get bored of and then dispose of me.

Yeah, running appealed to me. So… as the two resumed their argument (after Ranty said some fairly rude things to the pyro-Predacon) I ran like hell. That little deception had earned a loud cackle and outraged yell from behind me. I pumped my legs harder. I didn't chance a glance over my shoulder in the paranoid fear of tripping over a root (cliché right?) as I crashed through the thick foliage. After what seemed like a half-hour and aching leg muscles later I found myself slowing down to a clumsy jog. Which ended badly as I tripped over a frickin' root and landed right onto my stomach. No noise was made as I pitifully rolled around on the forest floor with my eyes closed shut, waiting at least ten seconds before I started breathing again. And that was where the situation ultimately sank itself into my stubborn mind (I must have been in a daze or something) and I held my head while processing everything and everyone I had stumbled upon:

 _This is too real to be a dream…I felt everything, and their voices…Could I possibly be in -no, don't think like that, what about your family? Will I ever…-_

My thoughts were cut short once I heard rustling from in front of me. My breath immediately hitched as something big and grey cautiously stepped through the brush. A grey wolf with white/metallic gold wings looked at me quizzically.

'Silverbolt?!' I mouthed, dumbfounded. Yeah, I still had some difficulty grasping the predicament I was in, and whacked my head "Stupid! It's a wolf! A dream wolf in a dream-" I glanced upwards "But wolves don't have wings –and this not a dream!" I assaulted both sides of my head with my palms. But I stopped when I caught the sound of a series of mechanical clicks and whirs. As I looked right up into the concerned yellow optics of a tall silver/white figure, my brain frizzed as 'he' knelt down and grasped both my hands

"please stop, you'll hurt yourself-!"

 _Greaaat now Silverbolt thinks I'm mental. But do first impressions even matter here?! I gotta wake UP_

"-do you require medical attention?"

I blinked rapidly and frowned. My head hurt like a son-of-a-bitch "Absolutely not! As the matter-of-fact I'm perfectly okay-" I reassured myself that I was dreaming and that I needed to combat it "Just need to wake myself up!" I chirped and pinched myself. Hard. So hard, that I drew blood, _oh my_. And thus, that earned a thoughtful hum from my bigger acquaintance as he put a finger to his audio unit and proceeded to contact somebody. I groaned as he reported to whom I assumed was Optimus and referred to me as a poor injured female. Ugh. As he just started to wrap things up, we both heard the sound of a 'hovercraft' close in on us. The sound abruptly cut off as a familiar large red figure with piercing red optics crashed through the branches above us, Silverbolt just barely getting my statuesque figure out of the way in time before my previous acquaintance landed right where I was. I stifled an 'eep' as ant-boy leered at both of us. Mostly bird-dog though.

"It seems that the guardian of the Royaltys' prize just so happens to be you… _Traitor_ " his eyes narrowed as he readied his flamethrower "this will be a treat" and raised it. Considering I was standing in front of 'the traitor' I had two options: (a) jump out of the way like a little bitch or (b) stand my ground and deter the apparent maniac from firing (because I was of some importance). Unfortunately I didn't get to make either choice because the numb-nuts behind me decided to play hero and tossed me toward the safety of the nearest bush. And with that opportunity, ass-blaster let out a roar of maniacal laughter and attempted to roast the fur off of my silvery acquaintance. And as much as I wanted to stay and witness the two beings wail on each other like _Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots_ Beast Wars Style, I really didn't want to get caught in the fiery jets of ant-boys' hellgun so I did what any self-preserving girl would do.

I hauled ass.

* * *

As much as my (bare) feet hurt I didn't stop running until I reached another clearing. And at that point, I was exhausted. I wanted to go to bed –although I would typically stay awake/be active until nightfall. Yes, I felt pretty damn pathetic. But my rapidly beating heart eased up once I heard the sound of some other 'aircraft' that didn't match the sound of my deranged saviors' propellers.

"Maybe I will see the Axalon" I mused as a figure gracefully descended toward the clearing, the figures' mode of transport revealed to be a hover board "and maybe that's where I'll wake?" and boy, did he look surprised to see me. I didn't move as he landed in the clearing and gracefully transformed his hover board into parts of his legs. He held out his hand, a faint look of apology present in his optics as I graciously took it. And of course I wobbled a little because I was under mental and physical strain "I'm gonna collapse now, please catch me" my eyes rolled and I collapsed. I didn't get to hear the 'oomf' he probably uttered, but I was too passed out to apologize.


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy!**

 **\- Look at first chapter for disclaimer**

* * *

 **Chapter 2** : **First Impressions (Tangled Web)**

Pure dreamless sleep and nothing but quiet serenity, I was nice and warm too, my guess was that I was back in bed…safe. But alas, my brain had an annoying tendency to 'activate' at random times, especially early ones. As I woke up I blinked once, twice, three times before my vision cleared up enough to see a large silver, yellow and blue figure typing studiously away at a computer in front of me. And that the dimensions had not changed. I moved as noiselessly as I could manage, and looked behind me to see that my resting place was up against some kind of table, _no, that's no table…damn it_. I rubbed at my eyes and looked back over to the figure who -as if suddenly aware he was being watched- stopped typing and looked over his shoulder at me.

"Oh…Hi there!" he said awkwardly and waved.

I, again, stared blankly, _that's definitely Cheetor…I couldn't possibly still be dreaming! But –ugh!_ I refrained from groaning and shook my head, _just…play along, it's gotta end sometime…this has got to be a false awakening_. I then walked over slowly "hello…" and stopped and tilted my head "are you the guy who patched me up?" I was also aware of bandages covering almost every conceivable inch of me. _Huh, I guess launching myself into that 'dream' river really did mess me up_. I couldn't help but wonder how I was even able to run. The stranger shrugged and offered a slight smile.

"Nah, you're going to have to thank Rhinox, he did most of the work. He should be somewhere on the ship…are you okay?"

I realized I was spaced out "…maybe…"

His smile got wider and he offered a hand (or half a cats' head), "name's Cheetor, and you're…?"

"…Cassandra…" I averted my gaze. Still feeling very awkward despite Cheetor being one of the friendliest people in the Beast Wars "…so there was this other bot…guy with a dog-face and wings"

"Silverbolt? Yeah, he came back with a few metal burns but that didn't stop him from going on patrol with Rattrap, no worries"

"Oh okay…"

He raised a brow "you look guilty"

"I kind of left him to face off against that big bad red guy with the flamethrower" _who also wanted to take me to Megatron. Oh and guess what! I'm not from here!_

Blink.

Blink.

"Oh you mean Inferno! Don't worry; I'm sure you had good reason to run away. To be honest, Inferno kinda scares me sometimes too…" and there he went about blabbering and my mind went about teleporting somewhere else. Up until the point where there was a beeping on the computer that instantly drew Cheetors' attention, and as protocol would have it, he patched onto a frequency:

"Hate to interrupt your fun big-bot, but I'm picking up a weird signal. It's a Pred code but it's on a Maximal frequency"

"Location?" I heard Optimus inquire on the other end of the transmission

"I can't get a fix, it keeps _moving_ "

"Who's closest?"

Cheetor diverted his attention to the radar, and patched another comlink "Rattrap, Silverbolt, you guys busy?"

"…ohh yeah Skycat…" some guy with a Brooklyn accent – _Rattrap_ , spoke sarcastically "I'm getting my spankin' new armor polished, whataya want?"

"We're picking up a Pred signal in Vector 8-4-7, Optimus says track and identify"

Another voice then patched in; "we will get on it immediately Cheetor" Silverbolt assured and the line dropped, which left me and Cheetor in a few moments of silence. _Awkward_ silence.

"Soooo…this is the part where I get a tour of the ship?" _if this is a dream I want to see the rest of the Axalon before it ends damn it!_

"Oh, yeah of course!" he piped excitedly as he spun around in the chair, but as soon as it surfaced, the excitement was gone "…but I'm on monitor duty…"

I raised a brow "I could give myself a self-tour, and who knows…" I started walking "I might run into this 'Rhinox' guy and he could help me out" _yeah no kidding, I could get lost…_

"Okay…"

I walked through the automated door-

"Hey Cass!" only to stop short at the cats' volume.

"Optimus was with Rhinox last time I checked so you might see him too. And I don't know where Dinobot is, but I'm pretty sure he's on the ship…" he pondered for a brief moment "…but you might want to avoid him, just to be safe"

"…okay…" and so I continued walking, very much aware of Cheetors' stare at my retreating form. When I was sure I was out of earshot, I sighed loudly.

"Oh boy, when is this gonna end? I mean I love Beast Wars but this is a little much, my lucid dreams are not this elaborate" I muttered under my breath, a little paranoid at the thought someone would hear me "…oh well, I guess I should relax. It's bad enough Silverbolt and Cheetor probably think I'm crazy"

* * *

After I explored the ship to the best of my ability, I eventually settled with sitting in a random hallway. A nice and cool, _quiet_ hallway. I had to remind myself that if I got myself lost that it would add to my stress. But I didn't want to go back to the command center (not that I could, I was already lost). I didn't quite want to sit around either because it was only a matter of time before I got bored sitting in the hallway. And, with great effort, I stood back up and continued to meander through the ships' hallways. I wasn't actually bothering to look for Optimus or Rhinox, I was perfectly content wandering. Well, up until I heard a door open, and that goal was rekindled. I paused and listened if the footsteps were headed my way, and surely enough, they most certainly were. But who they belonged to made me question if I wanted to introduce myself, especially when I've been told to avoid one transformer in particular, Dinobot to be specific. Of course with all the time it took for me to reconsider my options, the footsteps already rounded the corner leading into the hallway I was in. _And_ when I finally snapped out of it, I found myself staring into the red (terrifying) optics of a very surprised, and very big, raptor-former. I stood perfectly still as he snarled, rather loudly, and pulled out a sword, _I should have known better than to run into him first –damn it-!_

Only when he started to move was when I finally sprinted the other way, not completely sure if he would listen to me if I were to have explained myself…I really didn't want to get impaled.

"Come back and face me intruder!"

I risked a glance over my shoulder and mentally berated myself once I saw he had quickly gained on me. He seemed to be enjoying himself…

 _That bastard_

With a sudden change in attitude and a swiftness that I thought I didn't possess, I stopped, whirled around, and side-stepped him as he dove past me –with what I assumed was the intention of grabbing me. To prevent from falling on his face, he then somersaulted and got in a stance. Before he could have made any more moves however, I started clapping slowly. Because why not? I actually had a plan, and if I died? Oh well, I figured I'd get back to my reality. I rolled my eyes; "Well _congratulations_ fearless warrior, you have caught your prey which just so happens to be a helpless unarmed woman. May I ask what you were about to do? Or should I not inquire about my impending death?" I made sure every word was dripping in sarcasm and I kept steady eye contact with a rather intimidating beast warrior. Whom of which possessed the funniest expression that seemed to be close to an 'oh _really_?'. I was silently thankful he hadn't run me through with his sword, or rather he hadn't had the chance to before two bots turned the corner. Upon sight of them, Dinobot lowered his weapon, but his sight stayed trained on me. I just wiggled my nose at him

"Dinobot?"

Said bot snarled like an animal.

"You weren't going to hurt her were you?" Optimus asked.

"He did just have his sword out-" I ducked behind Rhinox as a predatory glare was shot in my direction.

Optimus' metal brows furrowed at my remark. He probably thought I was being a smartass, which respectively, I was.

"I saw. Dinobot? Follow me…" and with that, both of them walked down the hallway (in the direction me and Dinobot ran in from) and ultimately disappeared around the corner. A gentle tap made me look up

"I believe we haven't officially met, I'm Rhinox" he held out a massive hand. Which I graciously took, the handshake being slow and clumsy, but at least I didn't have my hand broken, "And you are…?"

"Cassandra"

"Alright…you wouldn't mind if I ran a quick scan on you? I wish to check your vitals as well as any damage Dinobot may have inflicted"

"Not at all, and as for that Dinobot guy…he didn't do any damage. I made sure of that"

With a small nod, Rhinox pulled out a small device, and with a few beeps, it emitted a brief scanning light. Nodding some more, Rhinox gestured for me to follow him, "I also have questions for you…"

"Okay"

* * *

So he led me back to the command center. As we got there I sat next to Cheetor, who looked absolutely delighted, and Rhinox sat next to me.

"I have quite a bulk of questions to ask you. And so I assumed you wouldn't have wanted to stand in that hallway for that duration of time"

I nodded.

"Alright, first question. Do you know of the Transformers?"

"Yes sir" I blurted. _Dumbass! Maximals have never really interacted with humans…have they?_

"Maximals and Autobots alike…?"

"…yes…" I sheepishly answered. I was absolutely incapable of lying.

"So you know about the Great War?"

 _Hmmmmm…_ "I've read about it…?"

Rhinox raised an optic ridge, but shrugged "I'm sorry, I didn't expect a human to know of us. The human race has been out of contact with ours for centuries…"

"…yeah I get around…"

"Get around? Are you from Earth, or perhaps a colony planet?"

"Errr, Earth" _just relax, this is just a dream…_

"And just how did you read about us?" he sounded intrigued.

"…I snooped into some ancient records…" okay, so I was capable of lying.

That earned a smirk "I hope you did it legally"

 _Hahaha funny guy_ I smiled a genuine smile "Yes sir, I was just very thorough going through the library".

"Very…" he tapped his chin and logged something into his data pad "Another question…how did you get here?"

"ehehe, funny thing. I just woke up here" I answered truthfully. I felt good with the knowledge I was being sincere. The best part was that it was in my tone.

"…you _'just woke up here_ '?"

I gave him my best serious stare, which he hummed thoughtfully and walked over to the strategy hub. Once he plugged the device in, the scanners data immediately flashed onto the hub to show my general outline…nothing too detailed, thank Primus.

"I don't know much on human anatomy…"

 _Why thank you Doctor Rhinox!_

"…but you're definitely human. Please forgive my earlier suspicions, but humans of your physique don't exist in this point in time"

"How so…?" I knew so, I just wanted to hear it, for him to _confirm_ it. I felt a massive hand rest on my shoulder.

"I don't mean to startle you, but you're roughly four million years in Earth's past"

I was as horrible actress as I was a liar. "Oh…" I tried. I really did. At the least, he had not picked up on my poor acting effort. And so he gave a soft nervous smile.

"Don't worry, I won't question you any further" and then looked over to Cheetor, whom of which gawked at the holographic display "Cheetor" the cat jumped "perhaps you'd like to show our new member to a room? Maybe find her something to read?"

"Sure! But what about-"

"I'll cover you. Just come right back when you've found a room"

"On it Big R" Cheetor then gestured excitedly for me to follow. I waved a quick goodbye to Rhinox as we left through the automated door.

* * *

Even more time, that I hadn't bothered track, swept by as Cheetor eventually found a suitable room, "I know it's not much but it'll grow on you" he lead me in, examining every nook and cranny for what I assumed was nothing but eventually he found a single data pad.

"Here's a datapad. It doesn't have much, just some info on the Predacons"

"Still…it's reading material and the helpful kind at that" _too bad I already know all the Predacons and depending where I am in the plotline, just slightly more…_

He stood at the side of the bed awkwardly for a full ten seconds before slowly inching toward the door, "Well I gotta go…monitor duty" and before I could give so much as a 'yup', he zipped off. Only to briefly appear back in the doorway "Oh! I almost forgot! Your rooms' password is 37664! If you ever forget just ask!" and _then_ he was gone, the door shut immediately afterward.

 _37664 huh? Well I'm going to be asking for that soon enough…thanks Cheetor_ I blew out air and went back to reading about the Predacons. I read every last little detail (and chuckled at each and every one of them) as the minutes ticked on by, just for fun. After that, I waited for the moment I'd 'wake up', which I soon learned was pointless. So instead, I explored my room. It was a simple little cubicle, plain and grey with a metal bed and desk…exactly like the rooms had looked in the series. _I hope these guys will soon learn that I'll need something soft to sleep on,_ I smiled as I remembered the forest floor, _if not I'll just sleep in the forest…provided I'm here for that long_. I jumped once someone knocked on my door, _must I answer?_

"Cassandra?"

 _Hmmmm_ I would have found it rude to not answer Silverbolt, especially after he saved my poor, confused hide, and not only that, but he was just a really nice guy and I would have felt extremely guilty if I ignored him. I sighed and walked over to the door, presssing the button to open it.

"Looking pretty good for a dead guy"

"Ah ha, sense of humor I see…how are you feeling?" he cocked his head to the side slightly

"Aside from almost being Purina Dinobot chow...I'm just dandy"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes siree"

"…have you been acquainted with everybody?"

"Almost, I have yet to meet this Rattrap guy" _in person anyway…_

Awkward silence then: "I'll…be taking my leave now" and he left. I was little bummed to say the least, because I wanted to chat more, but just shrugged it off, _he's probably got things to do_ _._ I sighed and turned away, pressing the button to close the door. However, the door did _not_ close as a rather loud and unpleasant clang sounded behind me. And so what did I do?

I squeaked/squealed and jumped maybe a good foot. I heard a chuckle and spun around.

" _Dat_ was da cutest noise I'd eva heard-"

"I promise you'll make that same noise after I tear out your lugnuts and shove'em down your throat" I placed my hands on my hips and narrowed my eyes at a smug Rattrap. I wasn't angry; in fact, I was overjoyed that I met one of favorite beast warriors.

"Rattrap" he held his hand out. Surprised, I accepted his handshake. _Oh wow, so this was a test? Are we gonna be good friends now or what? That will be so awesome!_ I smiled and shook his hand. First impressions were funny little things

"Cassandra"

"I have a funny feelin' we're gonna get along just fine…as long as ya leave my lugnuts alone"

I rolled my eyes and grinned, "no promises".

Rattrap's red optics widened, his grin doing the same. "Yep, we're gonna be besties for sure…hmmm…" he stroked his chin mischievously.

"What are you thinking?" _because it ain't good whatever it is…if it's a prank I hope he doesn't throw me under the bus just because I'm new here…_

"Ya new here right?"

 _Yup, it's gonna be a prank_ "…sure…" that was all he wanted to hear, his grin stretched wider as he grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my quarters.

* * *

I kept my mouth shut as I carried one big jug of paint while Rattrap carried a funny looking contraption. It was obvious whatever we were doing was meant to be quick and silent as we hurried into a room. And as I had judged from the reptilian skin hanging and sword-racks, I guessed it was Dinobots'. _Dear baby Primus what I have gotten myself into,_ although I had regrets, I hadn't really done anything to stop myself. Rattrap was ridiculously charismatic. Said rat hummed a pleasant little tune as he linked the device to Dinobots' door. Have I mentioned that the gallon of paint I carried contained pink paint? "Now we jus' need da final ingredient, Cass?" I nodded, nervous as hell as I handed him the gallon. _It's just a dream, it's just a dream –oh who am I kidding! First day I'm going to piss Dinobot off!_ I recalled our first meeting, _or maybe I already have…_ I swallowed the lump in my throat as Rattrap finished dumping the last of the paint in the contraptions' built-in bucket. Once he did, he leaped down and pulled me out of the room as if Unicron himself was on his ass.

* * *

We waited in the command center. And in the meantime, I was introduced again, but in a more formal manner. "Welcome aboard the Axalon…" Optimus held out his hand, and not missing a beat, I shook it with a big smile on my face "Cassandra was it? Unless I got it wrong"

"Nope, that's my name"

"Alright" the transmetal monkey's optics panned the room "I'm going to assume you've met everybody?"

Rattrap walked over and patted my shoulder, "Dat's right boss monkey, we're practically best buds"

"Poor lady" Cheetor quipped with a chuckle. A sound that proved to be contagious as I had found myself chuckling, Cheetor was a funny kid.

"You haven't got her into trouble have you?" Rhinox lumbered up to my right and placed a protective hand on my head. _Act cool_ I kept a straight face.

Rattrap shrugged "Nah" but when no one looked he winked at me. I grinned back and walked over to Silverbolt.

"Say, I didn't thank you earlier for saving me from that Inferno nutcase…guess I must have been out of it" I smirked and patted his shoulder (he was tall, but I could still reach).

"It is no problem, dear lady" and so he dramatically bowed like a gentlemen. Something I would have been okay with if it hadn't been in front of a small group of people. I felt myself grow red.

"Okay okay, noneofthatLancelotcomeon" I ushered him back into a standing position, we got chuckles.

"Dere's Silverbolt for ya-"

We all jumped upon hearing an enraged snarl echo through the base. It wasn't long before Dinobot charged into the room, his red optics the only part of him that weren't covered in pink paint. He glared at Rattrap.

"Aye DinoButt that color looks good on ya" the rat put an arm around my shoulders "it's our masterpiece, ain't dat right Cass _andra_ "

I paled, _he threw me under the bus –I shoulda KNOWN_ "Uhhhh sure…?" and then Dinobot glared at me. Without another word Rattrap pushed me behind Rhinox and ran out of the room. After he stood there and contemplated who he _should_ go after, Dinobot then stormed after the rat maximal. Rhinox pat my head and sighed.

"I'll escort you to your room"


	3. Chapter 3

**\- Look at first chapter for disclaimer =P**

* * *

 **Chapter 3** : **A New Friend** **(Maximal No More)**

Three weeks. And I had long since convinced myself that I was not in a dream. And because of that, I sorely missed my family. So, to assuage my emotional pain I did whatever I could to help around the Axalon. Menial tasks that is. Or at least that's what Dinobot called them, but I was happy I helped anyway…and kept my distance from Dinobot, or at least had someone else with me who wasn't Rattrap. I grew rather fond of the Maximals rather quickly as I got to _personally_ know them. Rhinox would ask me to come in for a check-up at times he was most available; no doubt wanting to be a physician for an alien member. The check-ups also doubled as therapy sessions as my psychology also seemed… _fragile_ , as Rhinox had put it. I hadn't met the two Maximals Tigatron or Airazor yet, but the crew would happily discuss their scouts anytime I asked about them. As for skills, I learned how monitor duty worked as well as computer repair. Rhinox was undoubtedly my teacher. I wished I had learned more at that time, however, the Maximals kept me inside 100% of the time since I was recovered from the forest. That was my only complaint; not going outside.

I sighed as I kept my eyes on the monitor, only to jump upon hearing a sudden, obnoxious beeping. I looked over to Optimus who nodded quickly and patched a frequency, Dinobots' face showed up on the monitor: "Dinobot, report to the command center immediately. I need you to lead a mission into Predacon ground"

Dinobot grunted thoughtfully.

:"On my way":

After he closed the link, Optimus spun his chair to face me, "You want to patch Silverbolt and Rattrap?"

"Sure thing" I patched Silverbolt first "Yo 'Bolt you up for some recon?" I knew what his answer would be. That guy was _always_ ready.

:"Of course, on my way now":

I nodded and closed the link, then opened another one. I smiled mischievously as I saw that Rattraps' back was to me as he worked on something that required more attention than the monitor behind him. With Optimus' nod of permission, he handed me a small air horn and with a smirk, covered his audios. Why you ask? Because as it turns out the captain of the Axalon had a knack for being mischievous as well…depending on whom he had for an influence. And besides, Rattrap was absolutely _engrossed_ with his project. Seeing as he saw the shenanigans that were about to transpire, I waited for Rhinox to cover his audios too. And without further delay I gave the air horn trigger a quick squeeze.

The sound that left Rattrap was beyond satisfactory. As he got his bearings I helpfully added "You. Command Center. _Now_ " and ended the transmission.

"Cassandra"

I smirked at Rhinox, who also had an identical smirk.

"You're a bad influence on Optimus"

I mouthed _'the worst_ ' as Dinobot strolled in. We all returned to our work. Optimus and Rhinox had done a better job hiding their humored expressions and worked studiously away. I however, still had a smile plastered on my face. I did my best to contain my laughter:

"Reporting for duty…and if you don't mind me asking, what was that _Primus-forsaken_ sound I heard earlier?"

…Oh who was I kidding, I burst into laughter. And it also didn't help that I still held the air horn secured in my grip. Dinobot snorted, "As I should expect…who was your victim today?"

"Rattrap"

No one was safe on the Axalon, all of whom were subject to my 'jump-scares'. Whether it be I trailed them quietly until I was noticed, wandering the hallways at night, or sneaking up behind them and using the air horn. And so because of this, I earned the title: _'The Crazy Ghost Lady'_ , as respectively given by Rattrap. However, it was all in good humor, as they all also knew that I was easily startled. And _that_ was something Dinobot used to his advantage once or twice.

"How so?"

"When I patched him he had his back to me, and was quite busy. I used this…" I held up the air horn "to get his attention"

"I approve" he nodded; the faintest trace of a smirk present on his face.

"And I would too if I wasn't working on a _proto-type_ " Rattrap walked up toward the strategy table, Silverbolt followed close by. And boy, did he look _ticked_ "By da way…you owe megacycles worth of work"

"You know I won't be able to make up those hours if you refuse to teach me demolition tech, unless you changed your mind…?"

"Ehhh _forget_ it-"

Optimus raised his voice. He did that when we bickered too much "That's enough you two. Dinobot?"

Said raptor stood straighter.

"I need you to look for any suspicious Predacon activity in this sector, here-" he pointed a transmetal finger to a point "at these coordinates. Rattrap and Silverbolt will be aiding you"

"Man, dis just ain't my d-"

"Quiet vermin" the raptor gestured for both maximals to follow him. And wordlessly, all three left down the lift. At that moment I voiced an observation, concerning a certain Fuzor.

"Silverbolt's awfully quiet, any ideas as to why?"

I only got shrugs.

* * *

After my shift ended I was ready to head to my room. And by ready, I meant that was until I saw the lift come up…along with a damaged Silverbolt, "The Predacons…th-they…"

"Take it easy, what did they do?" I wedged myself under the fuzors' arm, therefore acting like a crutch as I led him toward a CR chamber.

"What happened Silverbolt?" Optimus inquired.

"They took Dinobot"

 _Oh…at least I know which episode I'm in,_ I knew very well the raptor would be just fine, but that didn't stop me from being worried. And after a few seconds of awkwardly standing, I urged Silverbolt to start moving again so I could get him into a CR chamber "Just so ya know, being your crutch takes a lot of effort".

"…sorry…" he downcast his optics as the CR hatch closed over him, the machine sending him into induced stasis. Satisfied, I walked back over to Rhinox and sat comfortably back into my chair.

"You know your shift ended…"

"Yeah, but I have this nagging feeling something else is gonna happen when I try to leave this room-"

And even if I knew there was supposed to be nothing else happening, I still couldn't help that odd feeling as Cheetor strolled through the command centers' automated door and at that same time, the radar started beeping loudly. "Called it" I sighed as loud as the radar beeped.

"It appears to be…" Rhinox gasped "a stasis pod!"

"Where's it headed?!" Cheetor rushed over to stand next to me. Sure to get a better look at the pods' potential crash site, but primarily to get in closer proximity to me. I was also very aware of his evident crush.

"Rhinox?" Optimus walked over.

"I'm not quite sure –wait" the rhino-former leaned in closer to the monitor "it appears to be headed for Vector 7-9-2".

"Can I check it out?" Cheetor was jumping up and down. I, being slightly more subtle with my excitement, coughed loudly to get attention. I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to go outside, that was after all, the only one after three weeks.

"Can _we_ check it out?" I stood up. And after a couple tense moments of silent discussion, Optimus nodded: "It's been too long since you've gotten some fresh air…the signal's coming from within neutral territory, stay safe" and with those final words, he turned back around to face the computer. Me and Cheetor eagerly walked into the lift, which for some funny reason was a really exciting thing, _the_ most exciting thing.

* * *

"See anything?"

"Not yet…darn it" I kept my eyes on the ground as well as on the sky. I was both excited and nervous about the new Maximal. A long train of thoughts seemed to keep chugging along, thus rendering me oblivious to Cheetor's yelling.

"What?" I _hated_ spacing out but it was second nature.

"I saw it!" and with that, I had to hang on for dear life as Cheetor descended at an uncomfortable angle. As he leveled out, I had to catch my breath. And mutter a few obscenities. Fortunately, the landing was nice and smooth, but even after dismounting I was still so dizzy I fell clumsily onto my butt. Cheetor _was_ going to snicker, but held it as I shot him a death glare. As I brushed myself off, I strolled over to the intact stasis pod. It appeared to be in very good condition as compared to all the other stasis pods that had crash landed over the period of the series. I whistled as I touched it, the metal cool and smooth after hours of waiting for us. Cheetor joined me in examining it, only he did it out of concern. "That's weird, its' scanner should have –GAH!"

A rod extended into the sky, and a computerized voice stated in monotone:

 **:"Scanning for compatible lifeforms":**

Yellow scanning beams swept the area once, twice, and then thrice before giving a shrill beep in confirmation. _A new maximal…a new non-canon maximal…have I somehow altered this show enough for another character to show up?!_

 **:"Lifeform acquired, please stand by":**

 _Lifeform…?_ Me and Cheetor looked around to find what else was in the field. It took a few moments, but we eventually spotted a horse standing off near the edge. And with a whinny, it disappeared into the dark woods behind it. _Thanks…?_ With an abrupt hiss the pod opened and a transmetal horse groggily kicked it's legs. We waited patiently for our new friend to pull himself (his groan indicated he was a guy) out of the cramped space. Once he was out, he stomped his front hooves and gazed at us thoughtfully, cobalt optics studying us with intense skepticism. I couldn't help but have felt jittery, _please be friendly, he's a mammal so he's gotta be_ -

"Maximal or Predacon" he demanded tersely. I gulped.

"Maximal, and you?" Cheetor eagerly held out his cats' maw.

"Same…" the horse then eyed me "…a human girl?"

"Yep" I waved "Nice to meet ya"

The transmetal horse snorted (like a horse, not because he was trying to be rude) and took a cautious step or two "So where are we?"

"Earth" we said in unison. The beast tilted his head, confused.

"Really?"

"Yup! Just four million stellarcycles back!"

"How…"

"We uh, trans-warped here" Cheetor scratched the back of his head. _Smooth kid…_

"Why?"

I continued to, ever so subtly, study the new maximal. His voice sounded familiar, _his voice sounds like Heatwave from Rescue Bots…what was the name of that voice actor? Steve something…_

"We were in pursuit of a criminal…"

"I thought the Axalon was a vessel meant for exploration. Not that I have a problem, I just think it's a little odd…"

"What did you sign up as?" I was really curious.

"I'm…a soldier"

"Neat! But, who are you?"

The horse then shifted into bot form to reveal a red/black/grey Maximal with cobalt optics complete with a visor and mouth-guard. He grabbed each our hands with his own large gun-metal grey ones, "Trailblazer, at your service". Afterward, he surveyed the area; his whole chassis tense "Say…there any Predacons around?"

"…no…"

"Shame" he didn't even try for a lower volume "Ah well, guess we should all head to the Axalon then". With a swift transformation, he began to trot off, but after twenty feet or so, he stopped.

"Hey little lady, how did you get here?"

"I flew in with Cheetor"

Trailblazer snorted " _That_ must have been uncomfortable, why don't ride with me? This beast mode is perfect for passengers"

 _Yes please!_ As much as I had adored Cheetor, riding with him was painful. I happily jogged over toward the new maximal and clambered on. With that, Trailblazer trotted then cantered off. And left a poor, confused, and probably betrayed Cheetor to stare after us.

"Hey wait!"

* * *

Once we got back to the Axalon it was already dark. Rhinox was all by himself at the computers as we stepped through the lifts' hatch. As he spun around to greet us, he paused, then smiled.

"I see you've found the new Maximal"

"That we did…"

Rhinox raised a brow. So I grabbed Trailblazers' large hand with my own two little ones and pulled him forward "Introduce-" grunt "-yourself-" more grunting "-ya big lug" I exhaled loudly. Trailblazer patted my back playfully "Don't hurt yourself-" he held out one hand while gently patted me with the other.

"Trailblazer, reporting for duty Rhinox sir"

"That name sounds familiar…"

"I was…one of the last bots to enlist. And if you don't mind sir, I'd like you to explain everything that's going on now"

 _He seems to be a little hesitant in telling us about himself…_

"Of course-"

I yawned. Fatigue getting the better of me.

"You should get some rest" Rhinox admonished, something he did often because I was such a work-a- holic sometimes and would mess with my own sleep schedule. With a light blush, and a mumble, I left.

* * *

So I laid on my bed for an hour or two. And yes, it had soft padding so I was able to reflect on that day's events while being relaxed. I was about to fall asleep too, but a light knocking prevented me from doing so. _Eh? What meow?_ I walked over to the door and opened it. Trailblazer waved.

"Sorry for bothering you small fry"

"Meh, don't apologize. What do you want?"

"Never got your name…"

"Oh. It's Cassandra"

He showed his knuckle. _Wait what is he –oh!_ I bumped my fist against his. "Not trying to sound like a xenophobe or anything…but how did you get on the Axalon?" I blinked, not sure whether to tell him or not. _Rhinox was just barely satisfied with the answer I gave him a few weeks ago and from there…the Maximals haven't really pried…_

"They found me in a jungle"

"On prehistoric Earth?"

"Crazy right?"

Trailblazer chuckled "Well, I'm not gonna bother you anymore. Just wanted your name"

I shrugged and went to close my door whilst he walked off. "Goodnight girlie" his voice bid me as the next room's door hissed closed. I sighed and shuffled over to my bed, planting my butt firmly on it and proceeded to scoot backwards up against the wall. I then made myself comfortable on my side.


	4. Chapter 4

**\- Look at first page for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** **Other Visits**

"Stop" the screen paused "Map known alien sites in relation to our position"

I watched as the computer carried out Rhinoxs' command. It had been roughly five weeks since we found Trailblazer. Two days since I was last out on patrol. And yes, the boys officially trusted me with such a responsibility. Especially since Trailblazer had been brought into their ranks, the transmetal horse encouraged them that I should get some fresh air, being a human and all. I personally thought the guy wanted to get to know me better, and of course I told him everything except for being from a completely different universe –oh and that the Beast Wars was a show, I was sure none of the beast warriors wanted to know that they were entertainment during the late 20th century. They had even given me a gun…and lessons to use it of course. Him and Dinobot were all too happy to train me, they even fit in time to bicker while they did so. For other skills beside novice marksman, I had also learned tracking, and stasis pod diagnostics. I wanted to try larger weapons, but anything larger than my trusty blaster and I would have hurt myself, as I had found out the hard way early in my training.

Dinobot growled thoughtfully "A definite pattern"

"One we can use to find more of these things…if any still exist"

" _'If any still exist_ '…?"

"They were all malevolent constructs that needed to be destroyed" Dinobot informed, and I was quite certain he rolled his eyes too.

"Ooohhh, aliens that _don't_ come in peace…huh" I knew who the Vok were, but hey, the crew didn't need to be any more suspicious of me. The whole 'I know of the Transformers' thing and my sudden arrival were sure triggers –even if they were very nice to me, I detected their oh-so subtle (no sarcasm) body language and glances.

Dinobot snorted at my clueless remark anyway, so meh "Indeed… it would be better for us if they were all destroyed, we are fortunate to have survived their last visit".

I hummed, intrigued.

"Cassandra? Mind scanning the grid to maximum range?" Rhinox asked.

I nodded and walked over to the strategy hub, and worked my magic **:Probable location of alien constructs complete:** the monotone voice of the computer informed. I didn't see jack shit on the display, I guess my magic didn't work there "Well that's a disappointment" so I ran another scan.

Dinobot snarled loudly, which made me jump due to his close proximity, "Tracking this is a waste of time! Megatron is the greater threat".

"Giving him back the golden disk didn't help"

 _Hehehe that burn is still fresh_ "So that's why-" Dinobot shot me a look "Nevermind".

"I had my reasons, I told Optimus" he down casted those white (or icy blue?) raptor eyes.

"Sometimes Optimus trusts too much"

 **:Alien signature detected. Location; Grid Zyra:**

"Slag! Tigatron and Airazor were headed for that grid!" _Wait –is this?!_

"Want me to contact them?" I kept a calm voice, but my mind was in turmoil.

The rhino-former nodded urgently "Hurry!".

I hurried (just about flew) over to the console and tried to patch them. I only got static "Well that's an even _bigger_ disappointment".

"If they trigger those defenses…" Dinobot snarled and tried his hand at contacting them, but still got static, which earned a frustrated growl "Comm. channels are blocked!".

"Megatron no doubt built another jamming station" Rhinox patched a frequency "calling all field units-"

"Rattrap and I will destroy the tower"

"Don't forget to bring Trailblazer with you, he's been moping around all day" and we both knew the 'why' behind the said bot's moping.

The raptor nodded "I will consider your request" and so he left.

After sitting around for a minute, I turned to Rhinox "It is awfully nice out-" _I want to help Tigatron and Airazor!_

"I'll have you and Cheetor head to Grid Zyra" there was a faint smile.

"Thank you"

* * *

We surfed through the clouds, keeping a sharp eye out for maybe an hour or more. I had almost forgotten how uncomfortable riding a flying metal cat was; I must have popped my back at least three times. I was tempted to just leap off his back and go free-falling. Well, that was until Optimus patched:

:"Optimus to Cheetor; have you found them yet?":

"I can hardly hear you Bigbot, Megs is jamming the entire grid"

I popped my back once the transmission dropped, "How much longer?"

"We should be close" poor kid sounded bummed. And in all truth, I was upset too. _I'm –we're not going to make it…_ I weighed the pro's and the cons of the two scouts being abducted. Personally, I didn't want them to go, but I considered another thing: That they would had made powerful allies –or ally since they were fused as TigerHawk. And even if I had wanted to save them, going with Cheetor would have been a poor choice; in fact, I would have had to leave significantly earlier and with someone very quick. And then there was the inevitable _'I knew what was going to happen to them because I'm from a different reality_ ' speech. With all those things in mind, I grimaced and kept quiet as me and Cheetor made our way to grid Zyra. Ten minutes later and I saw a massive laser shoot down from the sky and envelop two figures I could barely see. With an extra burst of speed, Cheetor swerved around the laser "NO!" he cried out. The sight of the two Maximals in so much pain was enough to make me look away.

"I'm sorry Cheetor" _I really am, I could have prevented this…honest…_

He wanted to fly toward it, but stopped because I was on board. He descended swiftly and landed so I could hop off, which allowed room for him to transform. Then he made a beeline for the column of energy, "Cheetor wait!" but that proved useless as he instantly recoiled after contact. He got on his knees in defeat as his body stabilized after the energon build-up.

"Cheetor-?"

He threw his arms up: "NOOOOO!"

I backed off, and kept an eye out for any movement and another on him. Cheetors' head drooped, "I could have warned them"

"Don't beat yourself up…remember that the jamming tower covered the _whole_ grid. There's no way any of us could have warned them" I gave him my full attention, _yeah, except me…_

"Yeah but _if_ Megatron hadn't jammed us-"

Evil, _familiar_ , laughter sounded to the right of me. _Uh oh!_ My eyes shot up to spot a figure with extra spidery limbs protruding from his back aim and fire a round at Cheetor. The round revealed to have had contained a paralytic venom as Cheetor convulsed and then stilled. A yellow visor quickly set on me.

Blink.

"Who do we have here?! Long time, no see _my dear_ "

Blink. Cringe. _Ohhhhh no not Chuckles_.

"Oh right! We've never been properly acquainted…" he chuckled sinisterly and stalked toward me. I took a few steps back, and readied my pistol as I did so, "I am Tarantulas…and _you_ are?" I smiled and flipped him off. That earned a frown, "Still rather impolite I see. I'll change that" and so he advanced some more. I fired. The suppressing fire enough to have him back off enough for me to run and hide. I forgot to bring extra clips with me and so I ran out of ammo rather quickly. I made a beeline for the cluster of boulders. There were more chuckles.

"So be it…I have work to do anyway" I peeked around the edge and saw him walk over to one of the large vines and start sawing through it. Not much time passed before I heard him yell "Oh no! Optimus Primal!" he backed away from the vine "Beast Mode!" and scuttled off. Once he was out of sight, I ran out to greet Optimus and Silverbolt.

"Down here!" As soon as he landed, Optimus pulled out a defibrillator and revived Cheetor. I kneeled beside the cat as he came around, first groaning, then: "Tigatron! Airazor!"

"Where are they Cheetor?"

"They were inside that crazy plant…" his optics dimmed "it sent them into space"

Optimus looked to me for confirmation, I nodded slowly. There was a moment of silence, but that was interrupted by Rattrap once he reported.

:"Yo Rattrap to fearless leader. Mission accomplished. Hey you read me Trans-Monkey?":

"Loud and clear"

:"Eh, sorry we took so long, we ran into a little _opposition_ …": a crash sounded in the background and I could hear Trailblazers' maniacal sniggering :"…whom we nailed":, Rattrap chuckled :"So uh, get on the horn and warn the lady and the tiger":

Our faces, especially Optimus', went grim, "Too late".

:"Wha-?":

"Make sure that station is down for good and return to base"

:"…uh, gee, will do fearless leader":

The line dropped. I sighed. "I was really looking forward to talking to those two in person…" a hand patted my shoulder. It was Optimus.

"We all were" he then patched a comm. link "Optimus to Rhinox"

:"Optimus did you see it? The signal?": Rhinoxs' voice was easily heard.

"No. But Cheetor said it took Tigatron and Airazor"

:"What?": his tone was potent with disbelief

"See what you can find out soon. Optimus out"

I helped Cheetor to his feet as he gave a light whimper, his optics dimmed with sadness. Optimus sighed "Silverbolt" said fuzor perked his head up "give Cassandra a lift"

"Will do" the wolf-eagle kneeled down, granting permission for me to get on. As I got comfortable I heard Optimus' link buzz to life, indicating a patch.

:"Rhinox to Optimus. Rhinox to Optimus we have a code X":

Optimus stiffened, "Optimus here, come in Rhinox" his face contorted with worry "come in Rhinox!"

 _Shit has officially hit the fan,_ "Let's head back to base now Silverbolt" I looked back over to Optimus whom had a snarl etch itself onto his monkey features. He looked pissed.

"I agree with her, everyone back to base!"

* * *

We all hurried as fast as we could have managed. But of course, it proved to be a futile effort. The place was a mess. The disk was stolen. And poor Rhinox was missing his _damn_ _arm_ , which made me cringe even if I saw it coming. Optimus and Silverbolt rushed him into the assembly room to reattach his arm. I winced through the whole process even though there were no cries of pain.

"…I can't believe I let _Megatron_ sucker me like that"

"That's the tyrant asshole right?"

"Trailblazer!" we exasperated. No one really approved of his language at that moment…even me. Rhinox rolled his optics "To put it bluntly, yes".

"Let it go Big Fella. We have important matters to discuss"

"Yeah, like how we get our friends back!" Cheetor added his two cents.

"They are casualties of war…" I rolled my eyes at Dinobot, who thankfully didn't see it "better to concentrate on saving ourselves when our alien enemy returns"

"Just what I'd expect from a Predacon-"

"Quiet!" I made sure I projected my voice loud enough to make everyone jump. And yes, I was very much capable of raising my soft voice. Optimus nodded appreciatively.

"I've already faced the Void once for fighting these aliens. And if that's the price we have to pay, we'll pay it"

"It's like I say: we're all gonna die" Everyone turned and shot death glares at the pessimistic rat, and as if he's caught on, he waved his hands in surrender "yeah, yeah, I know… _shut up Rattrap_ ".

* * *

As soon as Rhinox was done with his arm, we all headed to the command center, me piggy-back on Trailblazer as a means of not getting 'underfoot' of anyone as Dinobot had complained once or twice. Once there, Rhinox activated the strategy hub, an outline of the Darksyde appeared on the display.

"We should take the Beast Wars to Megatron _now_!" Dinobot was the first to speak; it was more of a demand rather than a suggestion.

"Eh, we may need him and his bozos to take out whatever those planet busters are sending" Rattrap countered.

"I agree with Dinobot" _Optimus_ agreed "Our last truce was a joke. Megatron _must_ be stopped _now_ ; we cannot fight him and the aliens-"

 **:Warning; space anomaly detected:** a few different video feeds were then displayed.

"Looks like we don't have a choice" Rhinox said grimly. Everyone exchanged looks amongst themselves…and with the need to break the silent tension I sighed and poked Rattrap

"Come on…ya know you wanna say it-"

"Not twice on da same day sista"

With a couple of snickers from the group, Optimus then made a sound identical to clearing ones' throat after he softly chuckled "When you are all ready, we shall leave?".

Hell yeah we all nodded. Trailblazer whooped and threw a fist into the air: "Let's kick Megatrons' sorry ass back to Cybertron!" and proceeded to fist bump Dinobot whom very much agreed. And in small groups, we _all_ left the Axalon.

* * *

When we got to the site of Tigatron and Airazors' abduction, Megatron was already there (as expected). The strange contraptions that protruded from the ground were a sure sign that whatever he or Tarantulas were planning, they were close to achieving. I rode with Trailblazer since he was better suited for carrying passengers, and both of us stayed close to Rhinox and Dinobot who were very careful to not be seen.

:"Alright everyone, find a spot and stay hidden. On my signal, _everyone_ fights": Optimus affirmed, clearly eager to be the one to _'kick Megatrons' sorry ass back to Cybertron_ '. I watched as the board-surfing transmetal monkey passed over us. _Maybe not today…but months later…or was it two years –ah nevermind, focus!_

"Megatron!"

Said T-rex looked menacingly upward. I was a little intimidated, considering it was my first time _actually_ seeing him, as well as the rest of the Predacon team.

"Leave here Primal!" he scoffed "… _I_ will deal with this".

"Like you did the last time-?" everyone hopped up onto individual rocks, me still on Trailblazer's back " _Dream on_. All units! Maximize!" and so I hopped off of my pal's back, allowing him to revert to bipedal mode as everyone else followed Optimus' command. A ring comprised of Optimus (in front), Rhinox (to my left), and Trailblazer and Dinobot (to my right) surrounded me, an evident display of them having each others' backs as they all readied their weapons. I was pumped to say the least, even if it wasn't the end of the Beast Wars.

"Predacons! Terrorize!"

I was very sure the tin tyrant glared at me while he issued that command. I couldn't help but think: _whelp, I'm a target now._

All the Predacons either got their weapons out or ' _Terrorized_ ', "Inferno!" said bot stood to attention.

"The Invaders come Royalty-" he shrieked as a few vines tried to snare him. And as if right on cue, the large alien plant construct had vines (or were they roots?) shoot upward, twirling and twisting together to form a solid center foundation as more roots entwined together at the top to form a dome. That dome welcomed a beam of energy, which then disappeared as suddenly as it had arrived. I gaped. _Everyone_ gaped. It was a definite gaping moment as the newly formed structure pulsed with residual energy. The top then popped up like a lid and emitted a sound that was a high-pitched droning. Optimus whirled around to face me, deathly concern present on his face.

"Cassandra, _run_!" _no argument here_ I had no qualms with retreating, in fact, I ran like hell for the nearest and biggest boulder. I just barely made it in time as the high-pitched whine/hum reached it's climax and everything went white. I shut my eyes the best I could and covered my ears. When it was over, everyone who wasn't a transmetal was unconscious. I wanted to get a closer look, but stayed put once I remembered Megatron was in control. So I waited patiently as his tractor beams picked up everybody, and then dropped he didn't want. And being as distracted as I was I didn't notice someone walk up behind and then-

Poke me. "EEP!" I tried to squeak, but Cheetors' hand prevented me from doing so.

"Easy Cass, it's just me"

I calmed down. "What do we do now?"

"We bring who we can to the Axalon" Silverbolt limped over, whilst he acted like Dinobot's crutch "Cheetor?"

Cheetor gestured over to a green and brown lump. Poor Rhinox. "I'll carry the big man"

"I'll stay here and-"

"Oh no you don't Girlie" Trailblazer walked toward me in beast mode "Hop on"

* * *

We flew/galloped as fast as we could to reach the Axalon. Time was of the essence as Silverbolt and Cheetor ushered Dinobot and Rhinoxs' damaged forms into the CR chambers. From there, all four of us searched meticulously on our computers for Optimus and Rattrap, minutes stretching into what seemed like hours.

"Damn it to the Pit –you guys find them?" Trailblazer growled as his cobalt optics stayed trained on the monitor and his digits typed away.

"Sorry 'Blaze, I got zippo –and for the love of the Matrix watch your language! Cheetor's right there!"

"It's okay Cass, I've heard him say worse"

I shot a death-glare at Trailblazer, whom pretended to still be deep in work. "Okay…did you find anything kiddo?"

"Nope…it's like they've just dropped from existence!"

"Sure seems that way…Silverbolt? You find them?"

"Unfortunately not, of course I would have more luck finding that alien horror with my nose-"

Both of the CR hatches opened, revealing a recovered Dinobot and Rhinox. The rhino sounded the grouchiest "I'm getting sick of waking up in the slagging R chamber".

I grinned "Have a pleasant nap?" which earned a snarl/snort from Dinobot.

"Very much so, better than waking up in the scrapheap. What's the situation?" he asked Cheetor, though it could have been directed toward either of us as well.

"…would you believe, we're not sure…?"

 _Oh snap, I don't like that look,_ Dinobot narrowed his red optics and growled angrily. Fortunately, before his anger could escalate, Silverbolt reported just what he wanted to hear. Well, sort of, "I'm scanning two units incoming. One of them being Rattrap, the other one being…Tarantulas-?!". I straightened up dramatically. My eyes squinted at the yellow Predacon symbol following a red Maximal one "That's a rather unpleasant surprise" I looked over to Dinobot and Rhinox, whom of which looked just as flabbergasted.

* * *

As soon as the lifts' glass hatch opened, and it's occupants stepped out, one of them immediately aimed their weapon at the other. Shortly after, we all surrounded and aimed our weapons at the transmetal spider. Tarantulas clicked his mandibles nervously. And yes, that was something I paid attention to.

"We're wasting time! Give me access to your scanners and I'll find that alien ship!"

Of course Dinobot was the first to show his displeasure with such a demand. By pressing his swords' edge against Tarantulas' throat, "You'll make us vulnerable to attack by it-" he snarled "I say we eliminate him now"

"If Megatron meant to attack he would have done so! He _wants_ you to remain here, I want to know why!" the spider protested.

"Says you! I'm with Dinobot, slag 'em!"

Putting my weapon down, I walked over to Rhinox and Rattrap, my inquiry directed to the shorter of the two "What's your say in this? You brought him in" which earned a shrug as Rhinox shot him an expectant look.

"Eeehh, more like he brought me. All I know is that Optimus is inside that alien locker and right now that spider's 'is best chance to get 'em back"

I nodded, "I won't argue with that" I said with surprisingly no sarcasm, and that earned an appreciative nod from Rattrap "See? She undastands…"

Rhinox hummed and turned around, granting access to the scanner. "Do it…" he didn't sound happy, but then again, in our predicament we couldn't afford our options to be hindered by personal feelings, "… _Carefully_ ". Meanwhile, Tarantulas was more than happy to help himself. He even had the gall to laugh.

"Nehehe, your scanning system is **pitiful.** Did you learn nothing from the alien disc-?"

"The only pitiful thing in here is you, now shut up and get to work" I aimed my pistol, which made him cringe and twitch his mandibles.

" _Now_ the witch speaks-" he muttered. Trailblazer pushed him.

"Now!"

And so shortly after that ordeal, the alien ship showed up on the display, as well as two Predacon fliers.

"Scan those fliers"

The spider did just that. No delay. It was amazing what some persuasion could do.

 **:Transwarp signature detected:**

"Slag! They're carrying transwarp cells, we must attack at once!"

 _Oh look who decided to put on their big boy pants and issue orders_ -

"You heard him; Silverbolt, Cheetor, Dinobot, Trailblazer, you're with me…" all four team-members nodded at Rhinox's decision "Rattrap, Cassandra; you're with Tarantulas"

"Aww, such a pretty-"

"Can it"

With room wide chuckles, and a barely audible one from Rhinox, we all walked swiftly to individual lifts.

* * *

"Your comrades fight well" Tarantulas noted. We were currently perched on one of the struts of the ship, eagerly waiting to go on with the plan.

"Yeah well you Preds give us plenty of practice. Now quit your yapping and get _inside_ " there was emphasis on 'inside' with an urgent tone. I agreed with a silent nod.

"She doesn't like to talk does she-?"

"Inside. _Now_ " I pointed my custom blaster. With no words of protest, or hesitation, the spider rappelled on down. As he did so, Rattrap readied his grapple and gestured for me to hold on. In case you're wondering, I did allow him to wrap an arm around my waist like he was Indiana Jones…yes; I forgot to bring my own grapple. Once we were inside, we caught up with and stayed close to an eager Tarantulas.

"Megatron must be holding Optimus in the control room…that way!" he pointed in a random direction.

"Lead the way, and don't try anything fun-" we both turned around to see if the spider was still present. He wasn't.

"-ny" a moment of silence, then "Slag".

* * *

We eventually found our way to the control room without spider boy's help. As we did so we heard a voice:

"So much for your precious Maximals, and now to play my final card…Yesss-"

I stifled a giggle, Rattrap shushed me.

"Lock in coordinates. Begin teleport sequence" there was a series of beeping and other computerized noise "In a few nano-kliks, we will be on our way…"

Then we decided to come out of the shadows. Rattrap was the first to speak up, he stretched his arms out in mock disappointment "What, without saying goodbye…?" we both placed our hands on our hips "Gee, _we're hurt_ " I finished. Megatron scowled at the sight of both of us.

"Ugggh, I have no time for you vermin, and _whoever_ that small-fry is"

We both readied our blasters. Rattrap sneered, "Eh, _make time_ " and he dove to the left. I dove to the right, aiding his shots with my own. Megatron sneered.

"You both should have made your shots count-"

"Ohhh they did"

I smirked and gave a thumbs up to a freed Optimus as he gave a thumbs up back. The transmetal monkey hopped onto his hoverboard as an evasive maneuver to avoid shots, and all too quickly went on the offensive as he flew around the circumference of the room and knocked Megatron right out of the alien throne. The tyrant landed with a thud, which I was sure shook the whole room. Optimus flew over to Rattrap.

"Your timing's perfect. Can you stop the teleport sequence?"

"Teleport sequence?!"

I face-palmed, "We forgot about that". I really did forget about that part of the show, sad right?

We all heard a roar, and spun around to see as Megatron transformed and jetted into the air. Optimus joined him mid-tango as they both grappled and proceeded to strangle the slag out of each other, which was not progressing in any way. Rattrap tried getting a few shots in, but ultimately stopped once I rested a hand on his shoulder and pointed to the control chair. And just to confirm my guess, Optimus choked out: "The control chair! Destroy it!".

And so, with a volley of shots, Rattrap did just that, after which we both high-fived. However, that victory was short-lived as soon as we heard a high-pitched whine, "Guess we're goin' for a ride!"

"Hey, where's-?" I paused mid-speech to see Tarantulas as he rappelled upside-down near the alien control panel. Wires attached themselves to the panel as he yelled something -I wasn't too sure what considering Megatron and Optimus were yelling and grunting loudly as they were still in their death-dance- and the whole place started to shake. As I tried to maintain balance, Tarantulas sped by, nearly flattening me. Yes, I flipped him off.

"It's gonna blow!"

I looked up to see Megatron finally detach himself and fly around. Clearly eager to do a death swoop on Optimus as he made that final battle roar…and right into an alien power feed. The electrocuted tyrant then not-so-gracefully fell to the ground.

"This time, you _lose_ Megatron" Optimus was sure to (comically) point a triumphant finger at his beaten and battered foe. And all at once the shaking became violent, and the last 'chirp' confirmed that the sequence was complete. Megatron roared in frustration and fear and flew away, _that's right, go home and cry_ I smirked as Optimus hovered on over in front of us, "let's hit it" and so Rattrap hopped on, and I followed by clinging onto Rattrap for dear life as Optimus sped out of the alien ship as fast as his hover-board could manage.

"Fire in the hole!" he yelled once we got a safe distance away. I looked behind to see the ship teleport in a beam of energy, only to promptly explode well above the Earths' outermost atmosphere, the fiery red explosion spanned across the sky, steadily holding my attention with its magnificent display.

We shortly rendezvoused with Rhinox and his team, everyone crowding into a large group.

"Man when these alien gizmos blow, they _really_ **_blow_** "

I snickered at Rattraps' comment.

"What about Airazor and Tigatron…?"

And then I felt guilty.

"If their sparks are still online, we'll get them back" Optimus promised, which slightly eased the melancholy in the air as we all looked to the stars…

I couldn't help but have noticed two of them twinkling brightly in the cosmos.

 _Forgive me you two…_


	5. Chapter 5

**-Look at first chapter for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5:** **Bad Spark**

It had been four weeks since the alien ship was destroyed. In that time I was mostly on patrol with Trailblazer, Cheetor, and a few times with Dinobot. There wasn't much interaction between me and the rest of the Predacons. And although I was mostly shooting at them and they were trying to capture rather than kill me –because apparently Megs suddenly took a fascination of me…I kind of cherished that sort of thing. I honed my skills in tracking and computer repair, all while learning how to construct bombs thanks to Rattrap finally giving into my charm. And by that I mean pestering him to his wits end. I added a lovely scope to my custom blaster, which was near and dear to me by then, and wore a utility belt (credit to Rhinox) that had a holster for my blaster. My feet and shins also sported boots (also credit to Rhinox) that were comprised of a special alloy that was light enough for me to sprint in, yet tough enough to resist blast damage and the terrain. As for my title of 'The Crazy Ghost Lady'…I maintained it fairly well. And it was because of my mischievous and playful nature that I eased the sad tension in the ship. Especially for Cheetor, who had finally begun seeing me as more of a big sister?

"Long range recon report: this kitty's keen sense of discovery has uncovered a mondo stasis pod. But it's thoroughly thrashed, and plowed into a load of residual energon. And it's branded with a big bad looking X!"

Speaking of which, he was my recon partner for that day. That damp and irritably cold day, I shivered as I patched in "in other words, whoever is inside is scrapped" I rubbed my arms.

:"Just hang on, I'm on my way": and so the line dropped. And just when I was about to request a coat… _damn it all to the Pit_ I shivered some more as Cheetor landed softly next to the pod. I got off, still holding my arms.

"You okay?" he transformed to robot mode, curiously tilting his head.

I saw no reason to sugar-coat it "I'm cold. Wait, no, I'm _cold_ and _damp_ " I sighed.

"You should have asked Bigbot to bring a coat or something"

"He hung up before I could" I walked over to the pod, leaning against it. Cheetor did another curious head-tilt.

"…you're not scared of it…?"

 _No I'm not scared of him…even though I very much should be…_ Rampage was (strangely enough) one of my favorite characters, primarily because he was just so damn _interesting_. "You gave the report yourself: thoroughly thrashed, crashed in a pile of residual energon…yeah this guy's a goner" I wiggled my nose, _no he's not, just jumpstart him_ "shame if you ask me, it would have been _bad_ ** _ass_** to have a soldier this big…hehehe…" I trailed off. Cheetor raised a brow and smirked.

"What are you thinking?"

"He would have been my latest victim" oh, how the tables would turn later that day "it would be hysterical seeing him jump".

A moment of silence then: "What makes you think it's a 'he'?"

"Just assuming"

* * *

So I went about walking around the area, and jogged when I got absolutely bored. As time passed and I decided that I wanted to treat the pod like a jungle gym, Optimus and Silverbolt then promptly flew in, and deterred me from doing something potentially stupid. I stayed put and tried to look innocent as Optimus walked over and picked up a leg that looked very much like it belonged to a crab, "Perhaps, it did expire".

I suppressed the urge to correct him with 'he'. And that 'he' didn't quite expire.

"What is he Bigbot?"

With a nod, Optimus went about explaining "The dark secret of Axalon's journey. It was originally an attempt to replicate Starscreams' mutant, indestructible spark-"

"Cue the eerie music" I smiled coyly.

"-with a Maximal"

Cheetor snorted "Indestructible? Eh! 'fraid not"

"Sooooo, this guy was an experiment…?" I asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, I knew the back-story, but as a 'character' I couldn't be okay with it. Optimus sighed.

"…well, it was a mistake to even try. Though brilliant, it was hopelessly treacherous and incapable of being recycled"

"It was put on the Axalon for what purpose?"

I crossed my arms and gave Optimus the expression of 'go on, I'm listening'. He sighed, again, only a little louder.

"To dump it. Somewhere far, someplace barren" yeeeah…he wasn't going to like my opinion based on the expression I gave him. I decided to test my acting.

"For the love of Primus he's a he! And why would Maximals do such a thing to one of their own? I thought you guys were the pinnacle of ethics!" I threw my hands up in the air, and was about to start throwing profanities when a loud noise, which was undoubtedly a 'fart' caught my attention. I gave Cheetor a death-glare and pinched my nose. I hadn't the slightest clue it would have smelled _that_ bad.

"…ehehe, sorry, my Transmetal bod's been soaking up so much energon I'm about to blast one off-"

"Well then, 'blast one off' somewhere else!" I rubbed my arms; I had almost forgotten how cold I was. With a nod of agreement, Optimus then turned his attention to the pod, attempting to sneak a peek. However, his examination was cut short once a blast shook the area. Silverbolt shot Cheetor a look, the cat raised and waved his arms in defense.

"Hey, wasn't me!"

"It wasn't, look!" I pointed to an incoming Waspinator and Blackarachnia, the widow fired off rounds powerful enough to jolt the area.

"Predacons claim that protoform!" and fired off another shot, that of which sent Silverbolt sprawling onto the ground. Waspinator then fired his own rounds, which sent Optimus flying backwards. Me and Cheetor dove/ran in different directions. The kid delivered a successful dead-center shot on the wasp.

"Good shooting kiddo" I chuckled as Waspinator landed head-first into the mud.

"This is unnecessary! It's spark-"

" _His_ spark" I was given a glance.

"-has already been extinguished, we are too late!"

Blackarachnia sneered, a look I would've loved to adopt, and readied her crossbow/blaster " _pardon_ me if I don't buy that load **monkey** " and fired a shot that went right past Optimus and straight into the boulder that buried him. Not paying any attention to me or Cheetor, BA strutted right over to Silverbolt as he was still trying to get out of his stupor. I face-palmed and pointed past him.

"Yo 'Bolt! Widow alert!"

And so he ducked and the shot went straight to Cheetor, sending him flying into a cache of raw energon crystals. I backed up slowly with my gun drawn, _and so I just_ ** _had_** _to be the last one standing_. And what did she do? I'll give you a hint: nothing friendly. I dodged multiple shots as I ran for whatever cover was closest. Since the firing ceased, I chanced a peek, only to see Blackarachnia beating the slag out of Silverbolt and goading him into fighting her. I was tempted to start taking potshots, but given her proximity to the one I considered an older brother…I passed.

"How far are you going to carry this silly chivalry? Because this dark damsel is not impressed-!" and she kneed him. I cringed, and stepped out from behind my cover, deciding that she was far enough from SIlverbolt. I got a couple shots in before I heard the sound of a 'motorcycle' approach quickly. Tarantulas sped in, performing some kind stunt against one of the rises, and finished it with a tackle and put Blackarachnia in a headlock. I ran over to my fuzor friend and helped him to his feet.

"What…are _you_ doing here?!" BA choked out, sounded like Chuckles had a nasty grip on her.

"You've got information I want"

I trained my weapon on Tarantulas.

"Uggh, fine Tarantulas. Here's the scoop: Megatron is a _slag-sucking saurian,_ got it?!"

"Foolish spider, let's see if playing my shield will improve your sense of reason!"

At that moment Silverbolt decided he had had enough of the shenanigans and politely pushed me aside, he looked thoroughly ticked off, "Though threatening your own comrade is business as usual in the Predacon guide to villainy-" he suddenly lunged and pummeled Tarantulas, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him in the air "it is simply unacceptable behavior-" he punched him in the abdomen "in my book!" and threw him against the stasis pod…which triggered a violent humming as the energon crystals began reacting with the sudden force. I didn't take the time to yell _'you idiot!_ ' in favor of running behind what appeared to be the strongest piece of cover. As soon as I was behind safety, an ear-splitting bang shook the area, and fierce winds soon danced around my cover. I held on for dear life the best I could, but the winds were ludicrously strong and my upper body strength…left something to be desired. So, I was carried away.

* * *

I did not have a pleasant nap. Or even a long one as I found myself sprawled on rocky ground. And to top it all off, I had a killer headache. I struggled to get onto my feet, with every inch of me hurting as I did. As soon as I stabilized my posture, I panned my surroundings.

Only to stop on one particular sight.

"Well, _shit_ " I could tell the pod was empty by the slightly ajar lid. Of course I didn't dare bother take a peek; because there was no way in hell I'd have my back to _those_ bushes (I didn't feel like taking Tarantulas' place). So I instead stretched, breathed loudly, and stretched some more. I had no idea on how yoga worked so I just did whatever I thought would be close to such a practice. Once I sat down, I crash above me caught my attention. I smirked as Tarantulas landed flat onto his back. "Way to stick the landing, buddy" he jumped up, surprised by my presence. My smirk got wider as he narrowed his yellow visor.

"…oh, it's _you_ " he stated dryly. I rolled my eyes.

"Nooo, I'm Protoform X. Raawr"

A dead stare, then a deep sigh "Just great, I'm stuck with a lunatic". I only sniggered at the irony.

"Seriously, did you bump your head?"

"Maybe"

He shook his head and walked toward the pod. And for some stupid reason I had to say something, "Just so you know, it's empty" that stopped him dead in his tracks. He then backed away, and saw the obvious clue that the pod was indeed empty. So, he walked over to where I was comfortably seated on the ground, and sat down as well.

"So, when the protoform shows up you're not going to toss me at his feet in hopes that he eats me first are you?"

"What-"

I laughed loudly, _I really did bump my head_ "Relax, I was joking…er – _half_ -joking"

"Oh really"

There was a rustle in the bushes, we both stilled. I felt something, some _one_ , grip my arm. It was Tarantulas. And once the rustling got louder Tarantulas stood up and dragged me up with him. _Oh that son of a b-_

"Just so you know…you gave me the idea" he chuckled sinisterly, and walked forward. I found myself being picked up once he stopped at throwing distance of the bushes.

"Tarantulas…" I said in a dangerous monotone "Don't you dare-eep!" and so I was tossed into the bushes. My world spun multiple times as I tucked-and-rolled through the merciless brush. I instantly sat up, but too quickly as I held my head. "I think I got a concussion" I mumbled, rubbing the back of my sore head. I looked down at my criss-crossed legs to find that they were blurry. Curious, I looked up to see everything that was in front of me was blurry…including a rather strange shape. I winced at what I thought may have been a leg, of a very tall person. I blinked several times before my vision cleared. _Yep, that's definitely a leg,_ ** _two_** _legs actually_ , I dared to look up, and boy I really needed to crane my neck, to find a pair of green optics looking curiously down at me. I heard a faint chuckle behind me. _Tarantulas, you will pay…_

"Are you still alive?" his mocking voice drew the protoforms' attention.

I smiled, my eyes never leaving the pair of green orbs, "Yeah, very much so…if you _want_ to kill me, try launching me off a cliff next time…" that earned a light chuckle from the bot in front of me. _Okay…good first impressions_ …

"Is the protoform even in there?" he yelled back, sounding _interested._

"No, it was just an adorable white bunny-rabbit…"

The protoform's expression shifted into an amused quizzical one. _I wonder if I can get on Rampages' good side?_

"You should really take a closer look…" I stood on wobbly legs "you eight-legged _pain in the_ -" I mumbled that last part. I heard a shifting of movement, and looked up to see the protoform's hand come toward me as he kneeled down:

Pat. Pat. Right on the head. I blinked rapidly as I stood still, _for just a moment…it's like my life flashed before my eyes_.

"Run. I'll catch up to you soon enough" his suave deep voice echoed _right next_ to my ear.

"Uuhm, y-yessir". And so I ran like an adorable white bunny-rabbit. In doing so, I was sure to wave at Tarantulas as I ran by the confused spider "Byehavea _greattime_!". Once I was some distance away, I paused long enough to hear Tarantulas shriek, and _then_ resumed running till I reached a suitable hiding place –a rocky outcropping. Being blown away and falling umpteen feet surely did a number on me as I found that I was extremely _exhausted_. The pain I was in surely being the main benefactor. I knew Rampage could read emotions, mostly acute to negative ones related to pain, and so when my eye lids grew heavy I tried my best to will them to stay open. However, I eventually succumbed to the exhaustion and pain, and lied down with a whimper.

* * *

I wasn't sure how much time passed before I woke back up. But it was quite the chunk as I had noticed it got darker out, my headache long since cleared. I could still remember things, so I surely didn't have amnesia -and thus the concussion wasn't so severe. I looked around, expecting to find a pair of malicious-green optics, but there wasn't a transmetal crab in sight. I did hear footsteps though, two pairs of them. One quicker paced, obviously shorter and in a rush, the other tailing close behind but their footfalls were slower. Curious I eased myself from the outcropping…only to barely dodge a bolt as it collided with the boulder behind me, the exploded chunks sending me harshly to the ground.

"Blackarachnia wait!" Silverbolt rushed over to help me up "she's my sister-in-arms!"

"Well she startled me!"

"Startled _you_?! Lady, you're an eight-legged-" A pair of black voids narrowed at me. I raised my hands up in surrender and sighed "…sorry, you guys are obviously spooked" I tilted my head "May I ask why?".

BA lowered her weapon, shivering with recollection, "…the protoform, we saw what it did to Tarantulas"

"He"

I got quizzical looks; I cleared my throat "The protoform is a he". Blank stares and the widow kept walking. Silverbolt followed closely behind as he placed me on his feathery/downy back, as I had proved that I had difficulty standing up. We didn't get far before a large transmetal crab blocked our way, bellowing out menacingly while he snapped his claws. _Ohhh, so he was nearby…_ I was a little shocked that he just left me on that outcropping, especially with the knowledge that I was _right there._ The crab switched to bipedal mode and stomped forward sinisterly (and kind of acting like a zombie), which got his desired effect on BA as she screamed loudly. After he advanced backwards and set me down to the side, Silverbolt confronted X as he stepped out in front of Blackarachnia and I in a defensive stance, which did little as he was just merely swatted to the side. It was then BA's turn to damage X, but that only succeeded in making him laugh, pull out his weapon, and blast her away. I crawled away and covered my head as Silverbolt launched one of his feather javelins, but that was promptly destroyed half-way to it's target by a rocket. I stayed down as another rocket zoomed by me and hit Silverbolt dead center. I didn't dare reach for my blaster (which was still shockingly in my holster) as I heard a transformation sequence close behind me. Not even bothering to play dead as I figured I would die anyway, I watched as a massive claw lightly, yet with a grip, pick me up as the transmetal crab scuttled on over to Silverbolt and performed the same action. There was a thoughtful hum.

"Ahhh, is that… _fear_ you are feeling Maximal? Hmmm, yes, my spark, it _feeds_ on terror. Let it grow. Let it consume your circuitry-"

I wiggled helplessly, and in response the crab squeezed lightly. _Is it me or is he being gentle? Then again, I probably look fragile compared to Silverbolt_

"-Feel it. Yes, _feel_ it! **_Feel_** the fear!"

Silverbolt screamed (a manly scream). I shot Rampage a look. Wasn't so sure if it was a dirty one…but it didn't go unnoticed. His green optics sparkled sinisterly at me as Blackarachnia yelled "Silverbolt!". I just gulped; _it's my turn isn't it_. Whether he wanted to or not, the crab dropped me and Silverbolt and refocused on Optimus, Cheetor and an airlifted Trailblazer. As soon as they hit the ground, they released all sorts of fiery fury (pun intended) on their target. That being enough to drive the protoform back as Trailblazer snarled "That's what you get for hurting my friends-!" his jets of flame grew exponentially stronger "-ya slag-faced Pit-spawn!" that final push drove X straight off the cliff. Everyone gathered (Trailblazer carried me) by the cliff's edge in time to see the protoform recover almost immediately, twisting certain parts of his body to shift into his tank-mode. That tank climbed up the cliff face with relative ease and fired off three rounds, all of them thankfully missing, as he progressed upward.

"I-It's unstoppable!" BA added in disbelief.

"Your persistence is futile! I rise again!"

There were footsteps behind me as a shaken, but recovered Silverbolt walked up to my right, "In that case…let's give you further to fall!" and launched a feather javelin. The projectile landed precisely between the moving gears that enabled movement of the crabs' tank treads. That being instantly effective as his progress was hindered, then stopped, and gravity pulled him backward and ultimately sent him careening down not just one cliff, but the one after that. As he fell, he got one more shot in, and the rockets' impact sent Blackarachnia flying backward a good distance away. As Silverbolt pursued her, I couldn't help but smirk, _nah, she'll be fine…kind of serves as karma for shooting at me earlier…_ ** _multiple_** _times._ Trailblazers' hold on me tightened.

"You okay?"

"I'll live, Ram-I mean X- didn't do much damage. If anything, this-" I gestured to all of me "was all carelessness" we both looked over to Optimus and Cheetor as they talked amongst themselves. I sighed "You know what, I'll tell you all about it when we get back to base".

With a nod, he transformed into his beast mode while carefully maneuvering me on. As we galloped off to keep up with the fliers, Trailblazer brought up a question regarding my slip-up: "So uh…you named him? You were actually going to call him something other than 'X'"

I softly chuckled, "I did. Though 'X' seems too short, how about something that describes this little fiasco? How about…Rampage?" that earned an amused snort.

" _Okay_ …you know if you name something -er, some _one_ \- you get attached right?"

I just shrugged and kept quiet the rest of the ride.


	6. Chapter 6

**\- Look at first chapter for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Code of Hero**

I groaned as I woke up. It had been a whole week since the arrival of Rampage. Three days since we discovered he allied himself with the Predacons (as expected), that being confirmed by Silverbolt as he was the one who spotted the crab on patrol with two Predacons –Megatron and Quickstrike, if one must know.

"I miss home" I mumbled. My homesickness had not eased at all since my first day in the Beast Wars. _If Megsy doesn't kill me this homesickness certainly will,_ I mused bitterly and clipped on my belt and slipped on my boots –and nearly jumped out of those boots as soon as someone knocked on the door. _Scratch Megsy and homesickness, I'm gonna die by jump-scare!_ I walked over to the door and opened it, my next room neighbor waved at me.

"Hey, you look kinda pale-"

"If you say 'have you seen a ghost' I _will_ smack you"

"Nah, I was going to ask if you were one-"

 **SMACK.**

"AHAHAOW!" Trailblazer jumped away while he held his forearm "Your front hand is strong". Yes, I could get away with that because the transmetal horse had _made it_ his role to be a 'big brother', and had thus made himself fair game in whenever he decided to be a smart-mouth. Yes, my palm hurt. So I nursed it whilst I gave Trailblazer my best stink-eye.

"You going to feed me snarky comments or is there something I can help you with?"

He laughed and stretched "I'm good, just wanted to say 'good morning'"

I rolled my eyes "In your own special way…" and sighed "…how about you? Did you sleep well? Or did Rattrap rig your berth to eject you from the ship?"

"My morning's pretty well…" he stepped back so I could walk out of my room "and I slept like a baby considering RatBoy knows better than to booby-trap my room". His cobalt optics flickered red for no more than a millisecond. I chuckled as we both started to walk down the corridor.

"At least your morning is good so far…"

"Hehehe, yeah it would considering what Primal will dump on ya" … _and he just had to rub it in,_ Trailblazer had odd ways of expressing sympathy. Especially that fateful day when I had to be literally _pulled_ from patrol when I was scouting on the ground, and as one would guess, it was Silverbolt that got me the hell out of there. Since then it had been pretty obvious that everyone, specifically Optimus, went out of their way to keep me inside. And to not make me feel like I was totally useless, I was often given monitor duty along with a variety of other menial tasks. So, with a huff (just as the horse maximal went down another hallway) I puffed my chest and exclaimed "Whatever he dumps on me I will shoulder it with pride" all while I gave a quick middle finger as I turned the next corner. The transmetal horse-former chortled a "Hey!" as I sprinted away as fast as my legs could manage. Because I knew my hot-headed 'big brother' would want to catch up to me and perform a noogie, I swiftly covered a number of hallways as I made my way to the command center-

Only to stop at the sound of two voices from around a corner:

"Well if it ain't the irascible raptor" _seriously? I know they like to dish it out, but isn't it too early for this?!_

"The base remains infested with vermin I see-" there was a loud clang.

"Yeeeeah funny. Ya know, not much changes around here…except for maybe the occasional _allegiance_ "

 _Oh dear Primus_ ** _this_** _scene!_ In sensing the inevitable shit-storm, I raced around the corner. Dinobot thankfully took slow steps as he advanced on Rattrap, so I easily cut in between the two, "Are you guys incapable of addressing each other in a civil manner or what?! Cuz' I'm getting real frickin' tired of having to break up these stupid squabbles" I didn't expect my intervention to work, as I was greeted with silence. _Dead_ silence, as neither bot had said anything, and after Dinobot had stared me down with beaming red optics, he wordlessly turned on his heel and stalked off…without a snarl or anything. I was worried to say the least. Upset, I spun around to face Rattrap; the rat pretended to be occupied before he finished whatever he was doing with some 'percussive maintenance' and then walked off. _Guys…_ I knew of the fight beforehand, but, something about seeing it in person put a damper on my mood. However, I had a newfound resolve _;_ I turned my attention back on Dinobots' retreating form and decided to pursue him. _If I'm correct…I refuse to let that stubborn saurian out of my sight!_

"Dinobot?"

No answer.

"Hmmmm…" with a burst of speed I ran out in front of him and stopped. My gaze was just as stubborn as his as I crossed my arms. A few more moments of silence passed before his stoic face melted into one that was both thoughtful and…sad?

"It is evident you have no intention of letting me pass"

I nodded tersely, _damn_ _straight_ , "Not until you tell me what's brewing in your processor-" I raised my palm as he tried to protest "I know it has nothing to do with Rattrap because, well, you two _always_ argue and when I try to break it up you two continue arguing…this time you let my pitiful attempt at peacemaker actually work, I want to know _why_ "

The raptor snarled, the sound barely audible, "…observant as always…"

" _Why_?"

"Because as much as I hate to admit it, the rodent would have won our little dispute with the direction it was headed…" he looked over at his reflection "…I…" he then looked over to me "…do not wish to share my internal burdens with you, they are…too great" and proceeded to walk past me. Even though I was nowhere near satisfied with his answer, I let him pass…

"You're going to do something detrimental to your health aren't you?" but continued to tail him. He didn't protest (probably thought I was being stubborn…something he was accustomed to) as he transformed to beast mode, and even slowed his pace in his naturally spry form. Once we entered a lift, he shot me a nervous glance because 1) what he was going to do was going to likely get us both killed and 2) I wasn't supposed to be off ship. But he kept quiet as we descended onto firm ground, "You know for someone whose against sharing his burdens, you seem to have no qualms with letting me accompany you"

"…I've…It would be best if I showed you" he pulled out a pistol and kneeled down, which was an absolute first. _By Vector Sigma's CPU, Dinobot's giving me a lift!_ I had to contain my squeal in favor of being serious.

"Is Megatron involved?" I adjusted best I could. Sitting on a Utah-raptor was a far cry from riding a transmetal cat or horse.

"Indeed" and we sped off.

* * *

After we ventured through the wilderness for a mind-numbing and back hurting amount of time, Dinobot eventually found a lead important to his mission. As he examined a thread of webbing, I jumped as both our comm. units buzzed to life:

:"Cheetor to anybody, come in!":

 _We're getting there; I hope I can pull this off…_

"This is Dinobot-" the raptors' head locked onto a herd of gazelle "speak feline".

I kept silent to listen into Cheetors' next words:

:"I'm teaching a solo lesson to Megatron and Rampage-":

Explosions sounded in the background.

:"trouble is their slow learners!":

I almost laughed at Cheetors' cheeky humor, but that would have been bad timing as the cat's pained cry followed shortly after.

:"Aaahhhhh!":

"Cheetor?! Are you injured?!" I yelled into my comm. link. _He'll be fine, he can still fly…_

:"Yeah I'll survive, but somebody's got a follow up on Megatron! Find out what he's up to!": the transmission ended. I hopped off of Dinobot as he gestured, with his head, for me to get off. He still had his attention on the gazelle herd.

"Fear not, someone most assuredly will" he then looked to me "do you still wish to tag along-?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Very well then"

* * *

After we successfully captured a gazelle, we both walked on as we acutely tracked a certain transmetal spider all the way to his lair. It was amazing how much scraps of webbing were lying about. And if that didn't make things any less challenging, the imprints of a two-wheeled vehicle that we spotted on a near-frequent basis were a tip-off. _Aren't paranoid guys supposed to be adept at hiding their trails?_ I chuckled at the thought of _Tarantulas_ being so careless. With an arm around its body and a clawed hand on the captured gazelle's muzzle, Dinobot cautiously walked up to a conveniently made web and placed the panicked gazelle securely onto the sticky substance. With a quick nod, the signal, I rushed to find a hiding spot while the raptor buried himself in the dirt (a humorous sight I assure you). And so we waited…

Something heavy scraped along the ground –Tarantulas' secret door no doubt- as it opened up. I peeked around the corner of my cover and saw Tarantulas eagerly twitching his mandibles. He looked both directions to survey his surroundings and with a greedy chuckle in anticipation, he proceeded. _Yuuuuuuuuuuuuuck…and to think he_ ** _delights_** _in sucking out_ ** _organs_** _!_ I was aware that Dinobot would like to hunt, however I had the fortune of never witnessing it. I readied my weapon as Tarantulas scuttled directly over my hidden comrade, ready to feast. Sadly for him though, a clawed servo with a pistol shot out of the ground and lifted the surprised spider as he got within a mere foot of his prey. I waited until Dinobot had a firm grip on Tarantulas' throat before I stepped out of my cover.

"Foolish spider, your base was betrayed by the stench of your perversions" he scowled and leaned in "The golden disc, I need to know what information it contains".

I dared get closer. What? It was like the show only better!

"I -geh- can't tell you _that_!"

"Try tightening your grip Dinobot, he's bound to pop sometime"

"W-w-witch-!"

"Quiet!" Dinobot glanced over to me and smirked, and quickly refocused on Tarantulas as he did what I suggested. Well, almost:

He fired off a shot that was mere centimeters from spider boys' head. _That_ ** _is_** _better…but he did that in the show –oh well, I won't complain,_ I snickered mischievously as the gazelle bounded off.

"I- I don't know! I don't know! There are no more copies! Megatron won't risk a security breach again! You'll need the original disc, but he keeps it with him!"

"Never realized that spiders could sing like canaries" I didn't flinch under a visored death-glare. Dinobot snarled thoughtfully.

"Then I shall go to Megatron"

"Hehehehe, good luck catching up to him, he's _miles_ away nehehe"

I fired off a shot that grazed his head, which earned a startled squawk. I absolutely did not permit the chance of a smug Tarantulas. And neither did Dinobot as I saw a glint in his optics as he had _the_ perfect plan formulate in his processor; a devious smirk slowly spread across both our faces.

"Transform"

"What-?"

"Just do it" we both ordered.

Confused, the spider transformed. Dinobot grabbed the spiders' metallic abdomen to prevent him from speeding away, and seated himself comfortably whilst he kept his weapon trained. With a swift gesture for me to 'get on' I plopped myself closest to Tarantulas' eyes, and also aimed my blaster.

"You'll both pay for this-!"

"Just shut up and accelerate"

* * *

One would be impressed with how much torque Tarantulas' two-wheeled mode could muster up, especially to carry two passengers with ease. It was a surprisingly speedy trip but an uncomfortable one as we arrived at a canyon. Our 'chauffer' urging us to get the hell off as we all witnessed Rampage blow up the tip of _the_ mountain. _Mount St. Hilary…it's almost showtime…_

"Reality alters, the future alters with it!" Dinobot sounded _concerned_ , as in _genuine_ concern. His worried red optics then set on me, "You should-"

"No"

He down-casted his red gaze.

"…with the golden disc, Megatrons' power is limitless…!" he slapped his palm against the side of his head.

"Ohhhh so I suppose you wish to turn back now? Nehehe" Tarantulas mocked. I shot him a death-glare and cocked my blaster. He raised his arms in a 'white-flag' gesture, but still looked to be 'smirking'.

"No…I-"

" _We_ " the butterflies in my stomach grew more restless.

" _We_ will remain…" Dinobot eyed Megatron as the tyrant went about ranting "…and whatever Megatron is planning, we will foil it"

"Oh well you two have fun walking into an early grave, I'm just going to…-" Tarantulas' sad little attempt of a retreat was cut short once Dinobot stomped over and ceased him by his throat, "You are not going anywhere" the raptor snarled.

Tarantulas only murmured something pitiful under his breath.

* * *

Those hours were the most suspenseful, yet boring, hours during my time in the Beast Wars. They passed slowly as me and Dinobot spied on the two massive Predacons in the distance, one of us looking over our shoulder usually to check if our temporary ally (or rather pain in the ass) tried to make a hasty leave. Although I kept tabs on both Megatron and Rampage, I found that my gaze would often wander to the crab. His words _'Run, I'll catch up to you soon enough'_ echoed a few times or more in my head. At first I thought it was a subtle threat that implied that he would catch up to and kill me. But instead, he left me on the rocky outcropping. I didn't dwell on it too long though; Rampage was one of the more 'unpredictable' characters. Though I was a little unnerved as I observed him, I was very certain that one of his two green eyes would look right at me, but since he didn't report me or Dinobot, I figured it was all in my head. Hell, just for fun, I waved at him a couple of times…and his antennae would twitch…coincidence?

As two fliers (Waspinator and Inferno) closed in on Megatron, Dinobot activated his comm. link: "Dinobot to Optimus Primal-"

In that split second I decided to have my attention on the gathered Predacons, Tarantulas blasted Dinobot. I snapped my gaze on the spider, and grimly acknowledged he already had his weapon trained on me, _daaaaaamn it_ I frowned as Tarantulas chuckled triumphantly.

"Nehe, you shouldn't take your eyes off a spider, they tend to be _venomous_ " he admonished in a condescending tone. I didn't like that glint in his visor.

"But they still squash!" green lasers shot over Tarantulas' head, causing a large chunk from the rock formation to fall and effectively squash the spider. I helped Dinobot to his feet.

:"Optimus here, what is it Dinobot?": the transmetal monkeys' voice patched through. _Please hurry…_ I silently begged.

"Code red, situation extreme" we both looked over to the assembled Predacons. And as soon as Megatron bellowed out his orders, they all jumped into the valley and made it rain hell on the proto-humans.

:"We'll be there as soon as we can, in the mean time, fall back and wait for us-!":

"Negative!" Dinobot gently eased out of my supportive clutches, "The question that once haunted my being, is now being answered…" the valley erupted into hellish flames "the future is not fixed. My choice is all my own…" at that point it was as if I was invisible "yet, how ironic, that I now find… _I have no choice at all_ …"

He exhaled deeply "I am a warrior. Let the battle be joined" and pulled out his sword. Although I wished I could have cried and gave him an encore, I found I didn't have the time to as he rushed into the mess that was the valley.

"Dinobot wait!" and so he leapt down without me. _Damn you we were going to do this together!_ Frustrated, I eased myself onto the cliff face and began my descent, all while trying to keep tabs on Dinobot, _I refuse to let him die! His speech may have been legendary –but damn it I guess I'm selfish_. I couldn't see him anywhere. I huffed and scrambled down the cliff even faster, throwing caution to the wind. Once I touched down, it was already dark, yet the area was still well lit due to the area being ablaze. I immediately found that my thoughts had wandered to Trailblazer: _Could he have been on patrol? I really hope he heard us, we were on a general Maximal frequency…_ my eyes scanned the area _but even so, that was hours ago he could have returned to base by then stupid!_ I cursed as I ran further into the Cybertronian-made hell and _prayed_ that Dinobot hadn't engaged the first set of Predacons. I rushed on through the dense foliage, only to come across another drop in elevation. I growled and hastily fell/climbed down my second obstacle. Though humorously enough, it wasn't the way down that damaged me too bad…it was the rocket that sent me sprawling through the bush and out into the open.

A pair of green optics widened with surprise and a faint hint of amusement at the sight of my battered form. _O hai there!_ I didn't close my eyes or turn away. As we stared each other down, Waspinator then proceeded to intervene -but was shot down by one of Rampages' rockets. _Hey he likes me better than Waspy –but will it really make a difference?_ I scooted backward as the massive Predacon lumbered over and kneeled with an outstretched hand, but jerked backward at the impact of fiery and explosive rounds being emptied into him. Dinobot, with Infernos' gun, landed next to Waspinators' twitching form. For what purpose you may ask? Well that was revealed when the frenzied raptor rushed an aggravated Rampage and stuffed Waspinator head first into Rampage's tank-form cannon just as the crab transformed and fired off a rocket. The backfire cooked both Predacons and sent Dinobot flying into a charred tree, which he quickly recovered. _So much for helping him there…_

"I was really hoping you wouldn't have followed me…"

 _Wait where did_ ** _that_** _come from?!_ I shakily got to my feet, wanting to say some words (mostly profanity) but instead just settled with "Let's…just…finish this" we both locked our eyes onto a smug Megatron, the tyrant applauded slowly.

"One turncoat and a measly human girl-" _that motherfu-_ "-battling on against impossible odds…I'm…almost touched" he flicked an invisible tear as he scowled at both of us "fortunately such moments pass quickly. Quickstrike deal with them!"

"Yeehaw!" the fuzor landed directly in front of me "You first lil' lady!". I hadn't the slightest clue whether he'd kill or incapacitate me like the Predacons had tried to do so in the past, but I wasn't having it. With a quick-draw, I blasted off his snake arm "YOWWW! You little-!" and then blasted him a few times dead-center so he was sent into stasis lock. I gave a quick once-over of Dinobot, who nodded as if to say _'I'm okay'_ and then shot my eyes up to find…that Megatron was nowhere in sight.

 _Son of a blender! Where'd he go?!_

I hobbled over to Dinobot, "Now are you convinced I got your back and I'm not going to run away like you so very much want me to?" the raptor smirked "Okay then, let's kick Megatron's sorry ass"

"Oh no, I think not" heavy footfalls sounded behind a large boulder, their owner being a transmetal tyrannosaurus rex. A very _amused_ tyrannosaurus rex, much to my chagrin, "Dinobot!" he called out 'cheerfully' "what a delightful surprise! Let's see, where are we now? Ah, I have the golden disc-" he raised another talon "-I have the power to change the future-" he dropped his claws "and the only obstacles in my path to unimaginable glory…is yourself and... _her_ " his red optics narrowed in a sneer "…a miserable and misguided human-"

Dinobot snarled aggressively. _A miserable human that you've tried to get your hands on…I wonder what he could have possibly wanted…_ I shuddered.

"-Exhausted, damaged, _defeated_...-"

I found myself gravitating to the front of the raptor. Ready to put up a fight, I aimed my firearm. Megatron merely clicked his tongue.

"Nah ah ah" he pointed his tail cannon at something behind the medium sized rock next to him, "Fire, and I promise it will rain pieces of early anthropoid…yeeesss". _Oh no…it's coming…_

I lowered my weapon, but stayed my ground. The back of my mind told me to not dare stray from my spot. I instead shuffled backward to be closer to my injured comrade. _It could be worse, he's still strong enough to fight…I don't hear any warnings for stasis lock…_ I gulped.

"How so very Maximal of you my dear…" he addressed me "I'll be sure to change th-"

None of us saw the big red shadow close in on Megatron as he slammed a fist into the tyrant's faceplates. Caught completely off guard, Megatron was launched sideways, and a new bot stood in his place next to the proto-human. Trailblazer assumed his battle stance, "Talk about timing! You guys were a pain to track!" and began to pummel the purple tyrant. Whose shocked expression instantly shifted into an irate one.

"You imbe-"

Green lasers knocked the tyrant back, as Dinobot and Trailblazer, being the two opportunists that they were, decided to take turns wailing on their target. _There's no such thing as overkill…_ I blinked, _oh what am I doing!_ I then fired off my own rounds. But quickly ran out of ammo, _damn, I shouldn't have wasted those shots to scare Tarantulas!_

"Enough!" Megatron had somehow gained the upper hand as he knocked Trailblazer into a boulder and blasted Dinobot a couple of times in the chest. It was _there_ that I heard the warnings. _No…no! It happened too quick I-_ the tyrant swiftly advanced on me, and grabbed me by my neck, thus rendering me as a _slagging_ hostage. And in seeing that his cheap move was an effective one, Megatron sneered "That's right, one wrong move and I'll happily snuff her. She seems like wasted potential anyway"

Seconds that felt like minutes passed. Both raptor and horse seemed to have had some silent plot being discussed among themselves. I was clueless as to what, _as long as they keep each other alive…_ I just prayed it wasn't something stupid.

"…well…?" Megatrons' tail cannon hummed violently next to my waist "What will it be-?" a whistle and an explosion made my ears ring as a rocket slammed into Megatrons' back. I didn't see who did it though as we both collapsed onto the ground. Everything was silent, but I could still witness Dinobot as he appeared to do a battle cry and lunge for Megatron with a tree branch -a tree branch with a large chunk of pointed stone- and beat the living slag out of the purple-faced bastard. The extent of the damage so great, something was forced out of Predacon leader's sub-space.

 _He literally just beat the golden disc outta him…_ I watched in awe as Dinobot grasped the artifact and then blew it to smithereens. And despite being heavily damaged, the raptor still stood. The warnings were still blaring, but were barely heard over the sound of the cavalry. Once he was close enough, Optimus immediately bombarded his nemesis.

" _Close_ …I was _so_ ** _cloooooose_**!" Megatron snarled as he transformed and flew off, not bothering to finish any of us off as he made a hasty retreat.

But it wasn't over yet. I rushed over to Dinobot, who was rested against a boulder holding his waist. "Dinobot?" I could still hear the warnings "you _need_ to enter stasis lock" I heard heavy footsteps behind me.

" _Now_ Dinobot, doctor's orders" Rhinox said firmly. Respecting the rhinoceros' words, he did exactly that. As a stasis locked Dinobot slouched to the ground, I walked over to Trailblazer. The transmetal equines' wounds were far less critical.

"Thank you"

"Meh, anything for you short-stack" he transformed and kneeled so I could get on "by the way, we're both gonna get reprimanded for hours"

"I can handle that" I sighed "by the way, you know who might have fired that rocket?"

"Who knows? Maybe it's your guardian angel? Whoever it is I ain't gonna complain, and neither will the other guys. Primus knows we'll need all the help we can get protecting your selfless ass"

"Shut up Trailblazer" _Rampage is no angel…so why save me?_


	7. Chapter 7

**-Look at first chapter for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Transmutate**

My eyes sleepily opened. Both my body and mind content because they were supplied with a healthy ration of sleep. That and I had officially saved a beast warrior from his fated doom a while back. I yawned loudly. Even the stress from missing my home and family seemed to dwindle slightly…I was in a freakishly good mood that day.

"Yawn any louder and Cybertron will hear ya" Trailblazer knocked on the wall beside the rooms' open door –which was open to circulate cold air from the rest of the ship (my room was so damn _stuffy_ ). I ignored the transmetal horses' morning greeting and hopped off of my bed and proceeded to stretch. All while I had a blissful smile on my face.

"You know you're kinda creeping me out with that smile, Cheshire girl…"

I still said nothing. Earning a nervous cough from the Transmetal horse "Your shift doesn't start in a half hour…" he prompted seriously. He must have thought my sanity finally vanished.

"I know-" I slipped my boots on "-I just don't see why I should try to fall back asleep"

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Absolutely"

He exhaled loudly and popped a few of his joints "…it's just that-" he coughed again "-you've been waking up earlier and earlier lately…" he waltzed over to where I kept my utility belt and handed it over, I nodded appreciatively "should I be worried?".

"Nope. You want to walk to the command center with me?"

"…sure, but first I gotta get some energon? Sustenance and all, I kinda need that" I snorted at his smart remark.

* * *

We walked through the empty and delightfully quiet hallways of the Axalon, the trip to the refueling room being a short one since we were both fast-paced. After he got his respected amount of the blue liquid energy and I got a pear, we both then made ourselves comfortable at a small table. We ate/drank (yes Trailblazer had a mouth) silently. It was pleasant up until he brought up a very interesting conversation piece: "So you have a crush on Rampage or what?"

I choked on a piece of pear, _where did this come from?!_ I felt my blood rush to my face, _he can't be seri_ \- I paused when I saw Trailblazers' shoulders oscillating rapidly. In other words, he was laughing his shiny metal ass off, "PFFFT HAHAHAHA! Your face-" he started choking on his energon "-oh I'd never trade that face in for _anything_ in the _whole_ universe! Hahahahahahaha!"

"ehehe" my blood resumed its' normal circulation through my body. I kicked Trailblazer hard in his leg, but I chuckled myself "good one…seemed a little sudden though"

"Yeah, I didn't expect to get such a reaction, you hardly know the guy…and for good reason" he swished the remaining energon in his cup, deep in thought, and then shivered "Say, you never explained how you survived the marsh"

"I told you once we got back: I got shot at by Blackarachnia and tossed around by the storm"

"You were also in Crabby's clutches"

I pursed my lip "I was…guess I didn't tell you the whole tale did I?". And so I explained everything that happened on that day. Trailblazer listened intently, his cobalt optics widened once or twice in shock with the more intriguing parts.

"That is weird…I thought he killed anything and anyone without prejudice. Huh, you are one lucky little lady…"

I snorted "That or maybe you had the right idea; only _he_ has a crush on me" _in your wildest dreams sister_. Trailblazers' optics narrowed with a smile.

"Okay little miss smooth operator, just don't go putting the moves on him on the battlefield okay-?"

He quieted down as soon as a brown and tan saurian waltzed into the room. Icy-blue eyes studied us briefly before they set back on the energon dispenser. As soon as he got his ration, Dinobot wandered over to _our_ table and shifted to bot form, and then perched himself snugly next to myself.

"…good morning…" I was surprised; the raptor would always sit by himself or finish his energon and leave the room just as anyone else would get their ration.

"Lookin' pretty good for a dead guy-"

I kicked Trailblazer. We were both aware how long Dinobot was in the CR chamber, and the warrior may have gotten a little testy on such a topic. However, the ex-Predacon only snorted, "I have made quite the recovery…" he took a swig of his ration "...however…I don't believe I would have been given that chance if it was not for you two getting involved with my… _original_ plans"

 _Holy shit is he…?_

"And for that, I am grateful"

"Wait, did you really just thank us?" Trailblazers' optics went as round as perfect spheres.

Dinobot 'rolled' his optics "That was the intention".

I placed a hand behind my head, "I almost got both of you guys snuffed though" Dinobot placed a servo on my shoulder.

"Your bravery surpassed your foolishness"

I deflated a little, but smiled "Thanks Dinobot"

"You're welcome"

"We also gotta thank whoever fired that mystery rocket" there was a suggestive glint in one of Trailblazers' optics as they briefly locked onto me, "You got any ideas as to who that might be pal?" and then onto Dinobot. The raptor merely shrugged.

* * *

We, or rather I, spent the remainder of my free time in the cozy room before I had to report to the command center; Trailblazer and Dinobot went off to go spar some time before that (I didn't get on Trailblazers' ass for not walking with me to the command center). I skipped through the halls without the slightest worry of verbal spats, and smiled as I arrived in the command center. The rest of the Maximal crew greeted me as I did so.

"Ready for another excitin' day o' monitor duty?" Rattrap grinned.

"Of course, someone needs to keep an eye on you kids" I hustled over to my designated seat next to Rhinox. The rhino swiftly noted my mood.

"Sleep well?"

"Absolutely"

I felt a poke, "How's Dinobot?" Cheetor asked eagerly, he was the most concerned for the raptors' well being.

"I think we both know the answer to that" I cracked my knuckles and looked over to Optimus "so I see just about everyone is here…"

"Silverbolt, Rattrap, and Cheetor are preparing for a routine patrol"

"Okey doke…" I looked over to the assembled Maximals as they prepared to leave. I presumed they just finished up the briefing shortly before I entered the room "Silverbolt, Cheetor, you guys stay safe. Rattrap-" I grinned like the Cheshire cat as the rat maximal raised an eye ridge "Try not to get blown up"

"Heh, sure" and with that, all three entered the lift.

* * *

Later on, half-way through my shift to be precise, an alarm pinged on both our monitors. Curious, me and Rhinox pulled up the trigger. A simple diagram of Earths' layers was displayed, showing the routing of magma. My eyes narrowed in on a particular point sending out tremors. _An…earthquake?_ My eyes widened as I saw the epicenter.

"More tremors…and they're building in intensity"

And its' close proximity to my friends, I also discovered I couldn't _contact_ them. _This episode…so that means…_ I got my determined face on; _I wonder if I can save_ ** _her_**.

"Our team's close to the epicenter! And with Megatron jamming us-!" Rhinoxs' faceplates were of sheer panic.

"I'm going after them" Optimus made a beeline for the lift. Once he left, I slouched in my seat, _they'll be okay, they'll get kicked around but otherwise_ okay. A large green servo patted my back gently.

"They'll be fine"

I nodded slowly.

* * *

I had to wait. And wait. And _keep_ waiting. And because I was racked with anxiety, time seemed to be -figuratively speaking- slowed to the pace of a snail. Well, that was until I heard the lift come up. And with no delay, I sprinted over and hugged the first person that stepped out:

"Gee, she actually missed me" Rattrap patted my back. Probably thought I was the sappiest being in existence. And that was something I would not argue as I launched myself at Cheetor.

"What happened out there?" Rhinox inquired with a firm (but concerned) tone.

"The earthquake…it uh, uncovered a stasis pod"

"Stasis pod?" I eyed Cheetor with a raised brow "Where's the Maximal?"

"Yeeeeah sorry sista, but that thing was no Maximal"

 _What the fu-_ " _They_ came from a stasis pod, which was then ejected from the Axalon in order to save whoever was in there before you guys crash landed…just like all the other stasis pods, _they_ came from your crew". I should have expected it, but I was still hurt and disappointed by Rattraps' judgment. I was relieved to vent that on the actual guy, something a screen didn't allow me to do.

After a few moments of stunned silence, the rat Maximal scratched the back of his head, "Eehhh, sorry 'bout dat…"

"We don't know who it was" Cheetor defended (like a champ) "They were so… _deformed_ "

Rhinox hummed, "Where are Optimus and Silverbolt?"

"They went after it"

I glared at Rattrap, but kept my mouth shut. _She's not an it…_

* * *

 _Oh my…_ were the first two words to pop into my head once Optimus and Silverbolt returned hours later, _she's a lot taller in person_. Silverbolt was carried by Transmutate to the nearest CR chamber. Shortly after that Rhinox instructed her to stand on the strategy hub so the system's scanning rings could run along her frame. I waved as she underwent examination and she returned it with a friendly smile. Once the scanning ended, Rhinox spun around, a look of unease on his faceplates "That will do…for now". The rhino moved his worried gaze over to Optimus, and with a moment of silent discussion, he shook his head.

 _Don't worry I got your back girl!_ I found that my hand had grasped the deformed Maximal's hand. Her face morphed from confused to delighted, "…frieeeeend…?"

"Eeehhh, I wonder what fearless leader found out about the tire plug-YOW!"

Yes, I slapped Rattrap upside the head. No, I was not sorry. "Seriously?"

"Ehehe, sorry…"

"You forgot I was right here didn't you?"

He down-casted his optics, unaware that Transmutate leaned in to get a closer look of the situation in front of her, "yeAHH!" or maybe she just wanted to scare the daylights out of rat-face. I was happy with the outcome either way.

"What do the tests show?" Silverbolt asked, fully recovered.

"Well, its data tracks are scrambled beyond recovery, its structure is a nightmare-"

I frowned, but it went unnoticed.

"-and its logic circuits are barely at the level of a drone…coupled with its' sheer power it's a danger to itself and everyone around it"

 _This is hard to listen to-_

"Best thing for us would be to put it in stasis lock… _immediately_ "

I grasped Transmutates' hand tighter, only with two hands. I was too baffled by the amount of bullshit that accumulated in the room to voice my displeasure with such an idea. My mouth too fixed with a frown that also factored into my inability to speak. Fortunately though, someone else was able to speak for me:

"Are we _Predacons_ now? Do we destroy whatever does not fit our definition of _perfection_?!"

At that point my tall friend slowly eased out of my grip, her attention on something else as she left the room…or maybe she was repulsed by the nonsense. Whichever one, I let her leave the room –with the decision that it would have been best to rescue her with Silverbolt than try to fly out with her and take on Rampage by myself. "I agree with Silverbolt-" the other door opened to reveal Trailblazer, but I was too focused on OP and Rhinox to say hello "-are we really going to turn our backs on someone just because they're 'different'? For all we know she might need _our help_ -!"

"-Hey what's goin-"

"-and yet you want to decommission her? May I ask which one of you will do so? Primal? Rhinox?"

 **:WARNING! Hull Breach in Section 7!:**

"Whelp, looks like the nutty erectus is going for a walk-"

"Shut up Rattrap!" I spat, not missing a beat.

"You're all _fools_!" Silverbolt stormed off, and I followed close behind so I wouldn't have strangled a certain Maximal rat. I had to jog just to keep up with the fuzor though, he was in a hurry, for obvious reasons.

"Silverbolt wait! I want to help her!" the wolf-eagle thankfully paused long enough for me to hop onto his beast mode.

"You're not supposed to-" he shook his head "-very well, off we go!".

* * *

By the time we found Transmutate the sun had almost completely set. And neither of us were really relieved to see whom was in her company. "I'll distract Rampage; you try to persuade our friend to return to base"

"Consider it done" I had the jitters.

With the speed, silence, and grace of an avian –well, half avian anyway, Silverbolt touched down behind a cluster of boulders. As soon as I hopped off, he switched to bipedal mode and went on to carry out our plan: "Stop! This one is not for you!"

"It is only for me!" Rampages' voice was close. _Okay Cassie you can do this, what's the worst that can happen?_ I peeked around to see Silverbolt do a (sweet) somersault –and I took that time to run past Rampage and straight to Transmutate. He then attempted to deliver a flying kick –and by attempted, the transmetal crab easily blocked and countered it as he threw him onto the ground and kicked him like a soccer ball. I cringed, but focused on Transmutate as I tugged on her hand and held my index finger to my lips to shush her. It worked, thank Primus, and I almost had her behind a good-sized chunk of rock. But alas, I _had_ to look over my shoulder to see that Silverbolt was barely fending off Rampages' crushing foot. That hesitation drew Silverbolt's attention on our progress, and thus drew CrabCakes' attention.

 _Uh oh,_ a pair of green optics shot over in my direction, _nopenopenopenopenopenope!_ With a swift kick, Silverbolt was sent over the cliff. "You again? This is a surprise"

 _NOPE!_

"And you're trying to steal my friend from me…I'm hurt" Rampages' heavy footsteps stomped closer and closer. I yanked on Transmutates' arm with gentle urgency.

"Fly Transmutate!"

The mutated maximals' red optics beamed with delight "…fly…?". I glanced at a rapidly approaching Rampage who was (no shit) right _there_ _._ "Eep!" I leapt out of the crabs' reach in favor of being in Transmutates' protective arms, which only seemed to deter him for a brief moment before he tried again. _But_ before Rampage could grab me, Transmutate flew upwards, all too happily shouting "Fly!" as she levitated away from the transmetal crab. We stopped ascending, instead hovering a safe distance away from the crab. Rampage looked…amused, not at all what I expected.

"You know her favorite word…" green optics glistened with a tad of jealousy "May I ask how?"

"She's my friend too" and because I was out of harms reach, I took the liberty to sound bold. Rampage chuckled.

"My dear, you've only known her for what? An hour? Maybe less?"

I felt myself heat up "The same can be said for you! You've just met her _hours_ ago". He may have been one of my favorite transformers but _by the Matrix_ he tested my patience.

Rampage stiffened "How did you know that?". _Uh oh…_ and because he tested my patience I had slipped.

"…we did just get her pod's signal today…" luckily, it could be covered up with the other truth "and I've been told who got to her first" _at least I didn't slip on how much he 'relates' to her..._

Green optics regarded me with suspicion. I wriggled my nose and gently patted Transmutate.

"Find Silverbolt"

She flew me toward the cliff, and I would have had a panic attack if I hadn't known whom she was flying me toward. Once I had my feet firmly planted on the ground, I rushed over to Silverbolt, "You okay bird-dog?"

He grunted: "Yes, I will live"

The ground shook and all three of us focused on the large imposing figure of Mr. Immortality as he sauntered toward us,"I can understand the girl, but why do you protect _him_?". My new friend moved over Silverbolts' body, a stance of protection.

"…friend…don't… _hurt_ …"

 _It seems we're past THAT part, thank Primus_ "He's-" I pointed to Silverbolt "also her friend. And…" and looked up into ruby optics "…you don't want your friends to fight now do you?" _but now I've landed myself into another kind of trouble…_

I got a nod.

A. Frickin'. _Nod_. "…friends…" she placed a three-digit hand on my head. I crossed my arms and forced myself to look into Rampages' green optics –which I found very alluring, _maybe I really am crushin' on the guy. What is wrong with me?!_ "You're her friend too right?"

He looked at me like I had the knack of missing obvious details "Of course I am".

"Then don't kill Silverbolt"

"…not like I can when he's guarded by the two of you" he mumbled.

 _He could easily stomp over, swat me away and literally pull Silverbolt from under Transmutates' nose and then kill the guy…hmmm…_ and I wasn't the only one who thought so. Silverbolt looked dumbfounded by the crabs' behavior.

"You both do realize Transmutate has no place amongst the Maximals"

"Me and Silverbolt could look after her…and Trailblazer too!" it seemed like a reasonable solution, up until when Rampages' optics went dark.

"Oh my sweet, I didn't peg you as the naïve type…" he advanced a step "…are you not aware how many of the maximals will disagree with you-?"

I heard grunting from behind me as Silverbolt stood on his feet, "Quiet you, Transmutate is coming with us and that is final!"

"Oh really? Do you wish to bet your life on it Mutt?" a murderous glint shone in one of the two green orbs as the crab took slow and aggressive steps toward Silverbolt.

I placed myself in the middle.

"Will she be safe with you? In the Predacon base?"

He stopped. "I suppose not"

I groaned and rubbed my temples "Do you have somewhere to keep her then? A cave maybe?"

"Cassandra you can't-"

"I have a few locations in mind" Rampage looked taken aback by my submission. And quite frankly, I was too.

 _I can't believe I'm reconsidering our options…it's kinda like a custody battle_ "and you can promise that Megatron won't find out about her?"

"Cassan-" I shot a glance at Silverbolt.

"With my very spark" _ha, that's funny because he's immortal-_ I mentally berated myself, _knock that shit off_

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and that same hand spun me around "You honestly trust him-?!"

"Optimus and Rhinox were considering putting her-" I grasped Transmutates' hand and started gently pulling her toward Rampage "-into stasis lock. At least he-" I jerked my head "presented an alternative" _it's funny how I trust a mass murderer who I barely know_. Silverbolt stood like a statue as I closed the gap and stood a mere foot in front of CrabCakes.

"Congratulations, you just won the custody battle…" my eyes wondered over to a defeated fuzor to silently apologize, and then shot right back up "now get her out of here before Optimus shows up"

"How sweet of you-"

"Let me _rephrase_ that: get her out of here _before_ I kick your ass _before_ Optimus shows up"

With an offended expression, Rampage beckoned for Transmutate to follow him. The deformed Maximal was hesitant at first, but then I gave her the go ahead "It's okay". With a sad glance toward Silverbolt, Transmutate waved and smiled goodbye.

* * *

I wasn't sure how much time passed before Optimus and Cheetor had finally arrived. Once they did, Silverbolt filled them in but omitted the touchy details that would have likely got me thrown in the brig. Poor guy still seemed torn though as he offered a ride back home, and not wanting to hurt him anymore than I already had, I accepted.

 _And_ as one would guess; it was a very awkward ride back home.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do NOT own Transformers: Beast Wars! I only own my OC's!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Agenda**

It's been well over two months since Dinobot destroyed the golden disc, and a little over a month since I handed Transmutate to Rampage. That delicate matter known only between me and Silverbolt –who seemed to be less engaging in conversation than usual…

Optimus had long since allowed me to resume my patrol duties for whatever reason, which I found inane because I didn't understand why I had been pulled out in the first place. I had more run-ins with the Predacons during my patrols; the encounters not deviating from what they were months ago so Megs must have decided I was not 'wasted potential' as he had said back in the valley. I even apologized to Waspinator once for when Rampage shot at him, and the other Predacon that was in his company tilted his head like a confused dog (Inferno). I also had discovered that Quickstrike had a personal vendetta against me –because damn that guy could hold a grudge, and would go out of his way to try and kick my keister. I haven't seen much of the spiders, especially Tarantulas, but I made sure to always keep an eye behind me.

As for my team members, I hadn't really drifted from them. But I have noticed that their behavior had changed minimally. Particularly Rattrap, Rhinox, Silverbolt, and Optimus…I presumed it had to do with how I reacted back when we had Transmutate in our company and, perhaps, me and Trailblazer assisting Dinobot when we shouldn't have been: I was not even supposed to be off ship, whereas Trailblazer hadn't returned to the ship after his patrol in favor of tracking me and Dinobot. I was also very aware of my demeanor after those events, which liked to switch between friendly when I was around Trailblazer, Cheetor, and Dinobot to quiet (speaking only when I really needed to) when I was around Optimus and Rhinox. I didn't joke around with Rattrap as often as I used to and being around Silverbolt was just plain _awkward_ given his distrust in me. Oh well.

"The trans-warp explosion wave front should be entering Cybertronian space now. They'll be detecting it within a few cycles…" Rhinox spun in his chair to face us "…this is it. We're going home"

Excited whispers quickly escalated into giddy shouts. Everyone either whooping or doing a little jig, whereas I merely smiled, that façade not even breaking even when Rattrap hopped up on Silverbolt and kissed the side of his head –something that any other day I would have found to be 'laugh out loud' material. I felt so out of place, mainly because I was nervous with the idea of heading to Cybertron. _Maybe I'll get transported back to my reality before that happens_ and because I had some knowledge on the Beast Wars 'sequel' series, I winced.

"Cybertron…the home I've never known…"

"Ohhhh you are gonna love it! I know dis little place where you can get dirty mech fluid mixed with just a touch of radium that will take your head right off! And not only dat but eh…" Rattrap glanced over to a curious Cheetor and leaned in closer to Silverbolt to whisper "…not only that but the servant bots are walking around minus dere torso plates you know what I mean?" …something that I did (unfortunately) hear as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation. _I wonder how many bars he's been kicked out of,_ I suppressed a snort as Silverbolt shifted his gaze to the side uncomfortably.

"Ah yes, a veritable mix of culture and refinement. How can I refuse…" there seemed to be an air of sarcasm in the fuzors' words as he walked off.

"Hey! If you took dat broomstick out of your tailpipe every once and a while you might have some fun for a change!" and Rattrap certainly caught a whiff of it.

"Ahhh forget him big R! We can go to The Six Lasers over in the Cybertron amusement park! There's this-"

I face-palmed as Trailblazer began to snicker.

"-Space Slide and the Galaxy Coasters and-!"

"Kid-" Rattrap held up a palm "don't make me hurt ya" and wagged his index finger.

I patted Cheetors' shoulder and waltzed tiredly over to my seat to start my early morning shift for monitor duty. My eyes did a quick once-over of the trans-warp front calculation on Rhinoxs' monitor, _a few minutes you say?_

* * *

My foggy mind refused to keep track of time as it slipped by my focus. The voice on the other end of the consoles' radio not being registered until its' owner decided to raise his voice: "-anyone in there?"

 _Oh sh_ \- "sorry 'Bolt" I deactivated a portion of Sentinel so the fuzor could enter home base. Once the lift reached its peak and Silverbolt walked through, I gave an apologetic smile "I must really be out of it today huh?"

"We all know of your space-outs lil' miss Astro-Head" Rattrap snarked beside me, I slapped him gently with a grin. He seemed to be getting back to the habit of teasing, something I was glad for.

"About time you got back, Sentinels on full alert" Optimus lightly scolded Silverbolt as he walked over behind Rattrap and myself.

"Is there any trouble?"

"It's now or never for Megatron. If Cybertron shows-"

"You think he'll try to take hostages?!" Cheetor seemed very hyper. But then again, the kid was always hyped.

"I'm praying that's all he does"

I wanted to say something to break the tension, but found that I couldn't, early shifts sometimes did not mix well for me. I kept my eyes trained on my monitor as Silverbolt sat down next to me, and that unsettling feeling in my stomach increased ten-fold as Rattrap decided to float over: "Sooooo uh, where've you been bird-dog?"

"Scout patrol" the fuzor stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah yeah, scoutin' the enemy…find any new positions-?"

"Why-"

I had to _launch_ myself from my seat as Silverbolt lunged at Rattrap, my presence obviously not being put into consideration. And because they were close-by, Rhinox, Optimus, and Trailblazer rushed in:

"Hey-!"

"What's going on here-?!"

"The Pit-!" Trailblazer was by my side in an instant and helped me to my feet "You almost flattened her you dog-faced jerk!"

"Trailblazer it's fine-!"

"Fine? He just went postal on me and nearly crushed you-!" Rattrap whined from beneath Silverbolts' clawed foot.

"Enough!" Optimus _shouted_ "Silverbolt? What happened?"

"I…I overreacted, my humblest apologies"

 _Overreacted is an understatement,_ I shakily grasped Trailblazers' waist.

"Believe me I know Rattrap can have that effect. But now is not the time, get back to your posts…" we went to our respected places –Trailblazer insisted he wanted to stand by me. As I focused back on my computer, I heard Rattrap mutter under his breath; "ehe, think I touched a nerve". And so we got back to work.

* * *

"I want you all to stay alert, report _any_ motion and _any_ unusual readings. The attack will come, but it will be subtle"

I glanced over to Optimus as he strained his optics on the strategy hub, doing what we were all doing for the past few minutes. _And by 'subtle' the attack is going to be in the form of rockets hitting our damn shield,_ my thoughts went to Rampage and I grinned, _courtesy of CrabbyCakes_. I braced myself as the whole place quaked violently, any bot seated or not seated, was thrown to the ground. I was no exception as I hit the floor hard, _I'm really gonna kick his ass for this…somehow_. I held my head as the power in the room flickered.

"Like I said… _subtle_ "

I pulled myself near the monitor and reported "Shields at forty percent and _falling_ …" I shot a worried look toward Optimus.

"External auto-guns online" he typed in the command. The mechanical whine of the auto-guns being enabled could be distantly heard as a few other Maximals gathered behind me to see the status of our defenses. Which were then destroyed one by one, _such a bummer…_

"Now what do we do?"

"Well given our proximity, I breathe through my mouth"

I chuckled at Silverbolts' witty retort, it was barely audible, but it was heard.

"Ey!" Rattrap narrowed his optics at me, a very slight smirk graced his faceplates "…it wasn't that funny"

"Yes it was-" I squeaked as I was thrown to the side by more explosions. I didn't bother get back on my feet as the base continued to rock violently. _Someone's really letting loose,_ I latched onto the strategy table for dear life, everyone giving me distance in fear of crushing me as they all attempted to maintain balance themselves. A few of them, Cheetor, Silverbolt, and Rhinox whom were the nearest to the computers, started to frantically report:

"Shields at twenty percent and falling!" Silverbolt exclaimed over the alarms.

"And we're losing weapons systems power!"

"Back-up grid online but it won't last!"

At that time Dinobot barreled into the room, his faceplates fixed in a scowl, "What the Pit-?!" he roared as he was tossed against the wall by good old Physics. The raptor quickly shook off his disorientation and leaned against a CR chamber.

"Any sign of Cybertronian ships?"

I rushed to the computer nearest to me; the radar showed _nothing_ "Not a single blip!" (but I knew better). My legs trembled with the ground, _I should just tell them –get your priorities straight!_

"Then stand ready team! We may have to- _ah_!" and so our fearless leader was launched right into the nearest lift, and mere moments after that, the explosions ceased. Everyone stood at the ready as we all looked amongst ourselves, confused being an understatement in such a moment. Rattrap walked up beside me to look at the radar.

"What the heck just happened?"

"We had…help"

I tilted my head to one side "That can't be right, I scanned across the board" I felt a poke;

"Then what would you call this?" Cheetor pointed to a sleek black ship as it landed gracefully. _A really fancy ass ship that's gonna spell trouble for us –sigh…_

"A stealth vessel?" Dinobot piped from across the room.

I heard footsteps come up on my right. It was Trailblazer "Stay close, somethin' ain't right" he said with a whisper.

"Lower the shields"

"What?! Please tell me that new brain of yours is still under warranty, that-" Rattrap pointed to the mysterious ship "ain't no Maximal ship".

Trailblazer put a protective arm around me.

"If they wanted to attack us Rattrap they would have done so already. Lower the shields"

"Sentinel standing down" Rhinox announced.

After that, we waited and Trailblazers' hold did not loosen. Another few moments passed before Silverbolt hummed: "Hmm, strange. One would think a greeting would be the next step"

"Tried all the hailing frequencies, but with no response-"

The nose hatch suddenly opened, startling us all. _Enter Ravage_

"Scanners?"

" _Nothing_ out there, _nothing_. Ohhh man, this is gettin' weirder and weirder"

Silverbolt sniffed the air loudly, "I smell something-" the fuzor pulled out a feather-blade "-someone is here…someone we can't see"

"I knew it" Trailblazer mumbled as we inched towards Dinobot " _He's_ here"

There was a gasp as everyone then aimed up at the hatch. Two red lasers skimmed over us all, I readied my blaster as they continued to peruse the room. _Please don't shoot my hands…please don't shoot my hands…_

"What do you think it is big-bot?"

"Not what; _who_ " Trailblazer corrected, his cobalt optics trained on the opening. Optimus nodded, "After the Great War a few Decepticons were granted amnesty. Most of them retired, but rumor has it one was reprogrammed and rebuilt…as a Predacon!"

Gunshots flew across the room and disarmed us all (the round thankfully didn't find my hand). The air at the opening shimmered as whatever cloaking device was hiding Ravage deactivated. There was a deep, rumbling laugh as a black and grey Predacon with feline features revealed himself after touching down on the floor.

"Ravage" Trailblazer mumbled, acknowledging the Decepticon. The cat-like Predacon laughed some more as he holstered his weapons.

"You will pardon my shooting the weapons out of your hands. I only wish to avoid any regrettable accidents onto a person…" red optics briefly glanced at me.

"Neeyea? Well next time try the front door" Rattrap sneered.

"Rattrap please"

" _Please_? Oh for bootin' up cold! The only thing worse than a stinkin' Pred-" Dinobot shot a death-glare "-is a stinkin' _Decepticon_ "

"Shut up Rattrap" Optimus palmed the smaller Maximal "Forgive us, we've been fighting Megatron a long time"

"For which the Predacon alliance is deeply apologetic, I assure you. This is why I am here-" Ravage stood to attention "covert agent Ravage at your service"

Ravage shot another glance at us. Dinobot snarled, I could only guess that he wasn't too pleased with the former Decepticon coming to our aid either. _I always wondered how he would react to Ravage…guess it should have been obvious…_

"Wait, where are the Maximals?" I refocused on Rhinox as he pointed a digit at Ravage.

"I'm afraid the trans-warp wave was very weak. Only the Predacon sensors detected it. You understand we prefer to handle this situation… _discreetly_ …"

There were suspicious glares all around.

"…I will say; some of you look different than I was expecting, and…is that a human?"

I waved. Tempted to ask how Soundwave was doing.

"We've had some _interesting_ times, and as for the woman, she's with us"

"Oh?"

"Maybe when there's time I'll explain everything. But right now, we need to launch an assault on Megatron"

"Finally!" Dinobot didn't bother mask his eagerness.

With another glance, this time at Dinobot, Ravage chuckled. Red eyes scanned the whole room before they rested on Optimus "Eager lot this is no?" the Predacon/Decepticon activated his jetpack and flew toward the nose hatch "Then let's get to work".

* * *

And got to work we did. Not even a minute passed before we all left through the lifts to regroup with Ravage on his ship. As the cassette-con calibrated his ship's systems in anticipation of take-off and everyone else fidgeted with their weapon or spaced out, Trailblazer lightly pushed me to the back of the group; "This is gonna be a long trip, wanna play a game?"

"Sure". And with the go-ahead, he pulled out a deck of funny looking cards.

* * *

We played for a fair measure of time. Afterward, we started to chat about small things which slowly became bigger details related to Trailblazers' life before he became a soldier. The tales from his childhood were probably what captivated me the most, I even felt some tears roll down my cheeks for that duration. Eventually we transitioned into talking about his mischievous antics while he was looking for a decent career, and by Primus; Trailblazer was quite the troublemaker when he was in his late adolescence. However, the revealing of one's personal life soon came at a price:

"So I spilled mine…" cobalt optics narrowed, a sure sign that he smiled underneath that mouth-guard "Time to spill yours". Yes, he caught me off guard.

 _Damn it! He's good…luring me in like that, but what will I tell him? I'm no good at lies, and he's a walking lie-detector!_ I shit-you-not, the guy was fluent in body language and facial expressions. "Oh…okay then, where do I begin…" I hummed. _I don't really have anything worth telling-_

"Hey guys whatcha talking about?!"

We both jumped/yelled at Cheetors' harmless inquiry. I would have hugged the cat and blessed him, but composed myself with the reminder that that would have been a very rude thing to do in Trailblazers' presence.

* * *

We spent the rest of the ride in silence. As we neared the Darksyde, everyone stirred as they readied their weapons: "So this is it. We just blast our way in and finish this thing"

"Fast and final. I don't want Megatron going anywhere"

"This ship is our advantage. Cloaking now" Ravages' hands flew over the controls, and with the command, gradually cloaked everything and everybody, _talk about not being able to see your hand in front of your face_ , "Oh, and we have one other advantage as well"

I took deliberate steps backward.

"Let's do it" Optimus got his game-face on. Well, everybody did.

After hearing a clean 'click' followed by a mechanical shifting, I found that I was free-falling. And considering I chose to do so, I splayed my limbs and grinned with pure maniacal satisfaction:

"Wooohooo!"

"Silverbolt grab her!" it was a shame it had to end so quickly though. I needed to keep in mind not everyone shared my foresight.

"On it!" an arm wrapped around my waist as Silverbolt dove down and maneuvered around the AA rounds that flew toward us. Once he found a spot, the fuzor then quickly deposited me onto firm ground, "Stay safe!" and proceeded to fly off. But I wasn't alone as a large red Transmetal horse cantered up to join me.

"Need a lift-?"

Another Maximal landed on his head close-by. Me and Trailblazer cringed as we heard the metal crunch, "Hey Cheetor you okay-?" the cat's jets suddenly activated and launched him straight into a boulder. And as cruel as it may be, we both laughed, because we honestly couldn't help ourselves. After we gathered our composure, we then walked over to a KO'd Cheetor, who turned out to be not KO'd at all as the agile Maximal quickly hopped to his feet with his weapon raised. Trailblazer snorted.

"Easy kid"

"…sorry..." we all heard buzzing. Waspinator halting as soon as he saw he was outnumbered. His bug-eyes contemplated whether or not he really wanted to open fire, though it wasn't as if he got to make that decision as Cheetor made that choice for him "You're all mine Bug-Boy-!"

But failed miserably as a hidden turret popped out and blasted him.

"Slag!" Trailblazer seized my waist as he dove for the nearest cover, the rounds whizzing by his head.

"That automated turret was a damn ninja!" I peeked around the corner to see Waspinator blow a raspberry at a downed Cheetor, _oh ho how unsportsman-like!_ My arm and hand acted on their own as I promptly blew the wasp to smithereens. Trailblazer took that chance to toss an incendiary grenade at the turret and destroy it, and maybe some more parts of Waspinator. _The universe really does hate that guy…_

"Hey-"

I looked into cobalt optics.

"-don't space-out on me now, the war's almost over"

"Yes sir"

* * *

Once we caught up with Optimus and Silverbolt, we needed to immediately find cover as Ravage opened fire on the Darksyde. The sheer force of the rounds meeting the ship sent tremors throughout the periphery, and when the bombardment was over, Ravage landed his ship. Shortly after that, Optimus, Rhinox, and Rattrap all hurried inside with Ravage in tow. "Should we head inside?"

"I don't think it's safe to crowd too many of us in there" Trailblazer patted my back "For now we'll wait and see what happens". _Good call, I don't feel like sweating my tits off…_

* * *

Megatrons' sorry skidplate was tossed behind bars, on Ravages' ship anyway, as expected. Not that I enjoyed it because 1) I needed clearance to waltz into Ravages' fancy-ass ship just to mock Megatron and 2) I knew of the deal Megatron would strike with the Predacon cat. So I just had to make do with sitting in the fueling room in deep thought.

"Just so you are aware, that cup will not empty just by gawking at it" Dinobot raised an optic ridge.

"Sorry I was…thinking" _thinking about home, the finale, etc…_ "…about many things"

"Oh…?"

"What are your thoughts on Ravage?"

The raptor snorted "I am convinced Optimus has made a foolish move…especially with handing Ravage the responsibility of confining Megatron. We have a brig here on the Axalon do we not?" he asked the last part rhetorically, so I only shrugged. We sat for another few minutes in complete silence as I finished my apple.

"…so you wouldn't have happened to have seen Silverbolt around here would you? He disappeared shortly after we brought in Megatron"

"You ask such a thing as if I'm the fuzors' babysitter"

"I'll take that as a no"

The grumpy warrior just shook his head.

* * *

Later, after I had left the kitchen, I went about searching for the White Knight. Only to eventually bump into Cheetor…

"On my way Big B-Whoa!" literally "Hey Cass! What's up?"

"Trying to solve the mystery that is Silverbolt. Have you seen him?" I rubbed my forehead since it was the point of impact.

"Oh uh, he's in his room" he gestured for me to follow him "You wanna go say 'hi'? I was going to say a few things myself" we both continued to walk. In a matter of two minutes, we reached the fuzors' quarters. Cheetor knocked lightly "Uuhh, Silverbolt?"

"You in there big fella?" I asked, my question answered as I heard footsteps…

"Yes" and got a reply.

"Uh…I uh, just kinda wanted to say I'm sorry about all this-" Cheetor apologized, stepping closer to the door.

"What happened?"

There was a sigh on the other side of the door "…I was confined to quarters…"

"…yeeeah that, well I promise I'll bring her in with minimal damage okay?"

I poked Cheetor. Yes, I was being nosy "Who? Blackarachnia?"

"…Yep…"

"Well that is very considerate of you Cheetor…and I am sorry too"

"For…for what?"

I backed away from the door, an uneasy feeling in my gut.

"…for… _THIS_!" Silverbolts' silver fist punched through the door and landed right onto Cheetor's jaw, which knocked the transmetal cat straight into the wall. I watched with a frown as Silverbolts' room door opened. The fuzor casted an apologetic glance my way before walking over to Cheetor, whom was still conscious. _You're lucky I'm letting this happen for the plot's sake!_

"You alright Cheetor?" the fuzor bent down. I rushed over like a concerned friend would.

"Y-yeah, a little dizzy, but otherwise okay"

"…then I am, again, sorry"

My body stayed still as Silverbolt picked Cheetor up by the scruff of his neck and sucker-punched him hard enough to send him flying through the hallway. Fortunately, that's where Rattrap walked around the corner.

"Why you sucker-punching spaniel!" his fist punched the emergency button. I ran toward Cheetor once the alarms started blaring, sure to give my meanest death-glare toward Silverbolt as he sprinted by me and blew a hole in the wall to make a hasty retreat.

* * *

When that fiasco was over I went back to the command center, curious as to what assignment I'd be given. Optimus and Rattrap helped Cheetor into the nearest CR chamber as I chatted with Rhinox about Silverbolt's stunt. And because he was sitting right next to us, Trailblazer face-palmed "That guy…"

"Should we go repair the breach?" I asked Rhinox. It was better to get it done sooner than later, and besides, it meant bonding time with the boys.

"I'll join you"

* * *

Some time passed as the four of us worked on cleaning up the fuzors' mess. Rattrap stayed in the command center to keep tabs on Optimus and a recovered Cheetor as they went to search for our troublesome pup.

"So will any of you enlighten me on what the Pit is brewing in that fuzors' microscopic processor?" Dinobot welded the last bit of scrap metal of our make-shift patch.

"Heck if I know" Trailblazer cracked his knuckles "but he owes an explanation after not only nearly flattening Cassie, but also punchin' poor Cheetors' lights out"

"We can only guess" Rhinox wiped at whatever liquid accumulated on his forehead "But until then, no harsh judgments" red optics focused on cobalt ones. Trailblazer shrugged dismissively as he gathered as many tools as he could carry. The rest of us followed his example.

* * *

On our way back to the command center, after putting all the tools away of course, we all heard the sound of an aircraft taking off. "Did Ravage get sick of us already?" I joked as we increased our pace. As soon as we entered the large room, we were greeted by a worried glance by Rattrap.

"So uh…good news or bad news?"

Everyone's gazes were fixed in horror as one of the monitors showed a sleek black ship soaring toward an approaching Optimus and Cheetor…with Megatron standing on top of it. Knowing all too well that was when we needed to hustle, Rhinox jogged over to the computer on Rattraps' right. I hastened over to the one on his left.

"We shouldn't have let our guard down…" Dinobot stomped closer to Rhinox "…trusting Ravage was a mistake"

"Not much we can do about it now! Let's just give Optimus and Cheetor the cover fire they need!"

 _Aye aye Captain Rhinox_

Our shields continued to take the brunt of the explosions. In return, their integrity faded fast, "Not sure if the shields can handle anymore of _that_ " I commented as an especially powerful blast rocked the ship.

"Just so that it's long enough" Rattrap walked over to the hidden weapon cache in the ceiling and grabbed a few explosives.

"What are you doing?!"

"This mouse is goin' cat hunting! Vehicle mode-!"

"Rattrap wait!" I ran up to the bomb cache and grabbed a few bombs myself and sat myself on Rattraps' vehicle mode "Pint-sized back-up wants to tag along"

"Hehehe alright lil GhostLady; Maximum Burn!" as Rattrap did a burn-out and proceeded to shoot up an incline leading to the nose hatch, Trailblazer waved and shouted.

"Screw that ship up!" his red frame becoming smaller as we shot through the two openings of the nose hatch itself and the ship's shield, and right onto Ravages' ship. The landing was not the most graceful as both our bodies tucked-and-rolled along the cold dark metal.

"I didn't know the ship would catch us did you?" _big fat lie,_ I may have taken such an opportunity to bond with Rattrap more, considering me and the rat had not talked often the last two deca-cycles. The rat Maximal smiled "Ehehehe maybe" we then hurried over to a make-shift patch on the vessel. The discoloration easily observed as Rattrap pulled out a torch and got to work, but that was a futile effort when the torch proved faulty.

"You have any torches on ya sista?" it was genuine question, not one bit of attitude in it. It was a shame I didn't have a spare torch though.

"…no sorry…" _shoulda grabbed a torch instead of more bombs, Primus knows Rattrap already had plenty,_ I smacked my forehead, _genius of the century, folks_.

With a huff, Rattrap stood up "All right ya stinkin' piece of Decepticon cheese, let's see how stand up against this stainless steel rat! Hehe" and with a swift transformation he bore down on the patch and ripped it off. It was a tight fit, especially with the inner-workings of the ship in the way. "Ladies first?" Rattrap swayed his arms in a gentlemanly manner. With a smirk, I pulled out my blaster and blew away a good portion of the frame-work, leaving a hole just big enough for me to reach the inside.

"Why thank you sir, I appreciate your chivalry" and then I climbed, using a cable to rappel on down. Once I got halfway, I heard a voice; Ravages' voice.

:"Maximal shields are down. Tarantulas, all power to weapons":

I heard the sickening chuckle of the transmetal spider and hastened my progress. _Not on my watch, oh man what if he does succeed because I was too slow. I need to get my ass in gear!_ There was a mechanical whine, _shitshitshitshitshit_ I loosened my grip to the point where I was falling down the hole. My momentum easily took out any of the ship's panels/wires that were weakened by my earlier shot. As I crashed through, I startled Tarantulas as a sinister grin stretched across my face "Eat 'em and weep you cackling crackpot". Tossing all my bombs in his direction, I yanked on the cable I was still dangling from. There was little delay as my partner effortlessly pulled me to the top, the explosion underneath my toes sending me flying across the ship. "Cassie!" my eyes widened in surprise at Rattraps use of my actual nickname "-up here!" he pointed to the missile. I gave him an incredulous look, but did not argue as I clambered onto the massive war-head that was to be our escape. _Hope this goes as well for me as it did for him!_

"Not really an escape method for sane people, just to let you know" I wrapped Rattrap in a death-grip as the ship plummeted to the ground. As we fell, I waved at Rhinox as he leapt out of the way of our descent, the ship meeting the ground where he was moments before. I was very certain he gave a thumbs-up.

"Yeeeeeehaw!" Rattrap cracked his tail whip as the ship scraped across the ground and closed in quick on Rampage. As the ship advanced toward a group of rocky spires we saw that as our opportunity to get the heck off. We both leapt off, the fall thankfully not hurting so much since Rattrap cushioned my fall.

"Ya know, ya may be tiny…"

"Shut up Rattrap" I pushed myself off the rat and with a smile, held out my hand. With his signature grin, the shortest of the Maximals pulled himself up. "Let's go find Rhinox"

* * *

We didn't get very far before an explosion caught both of us off guard. The force sending us soaring through the air. _NonononononononononoI'mgonnadie! Notlikethis! Ohgoodnessafteralli'vebeenthroughthiscan'tbetheend-_ my dramatic thoughts paused as I felt someone catch me. I slowly opened my eyes to see that Dinobot had caught me. And across from us, Rhinox had caught Rattrap, as he had done in the show. The rat snickered.

"Ahhh, ehehe my… _hero_!" and smooched Rhinox on his cheek.

The rhino dropped the rat "Oh get down". I chuckled and shifted my gaze to Dinobots' red optics, a mischievous grin spreading –only to disappear once the raptor dropped me.

"Don't even try it"

Rubbing my posterior as I stood up, I smiled as I saw that everyone was present, everybody but Silverbolt. _He's still not back from helping his lady…_

"Whelp there goes our ride home"

"Guess it's over…for now"

"No chance, something turned that Decepticon against us. And Megatron isn't headed back to his base; we've got to stop him! Flight mode!"

 _And there he goes…_ Cheetor transformed next to me and Rattrap climbed onto his beast mode.

"Rhinox get on!" Optimus swerved his board over toward the rhino-former, whom looked very skeptical, "Yes, now hurry!"

"Okay you two, get on" Trailblazer transformed as he instructed me and Dinobot to get on. Once Dinobot hopped on, he outstretched his claw to hoist me up –Optimus held out a palm. _What?! I wanted to go to Mount St. Hilary too!_

"I'm sorry Cassandra, but you're in no condition to come with us"

I did a quick examination of my body. _Oh my…_ its' condition was worse than I had expected. Or felt.

"…we also need someone to keep an eye on the Axalon"

I frowned, but gave an understanding nod "Aye aye captain" and shuffled toward the Axalon, _maybe I can stop Crabby from pulling the Axalon into the ocean_. I waved a goodbye to all the boys as they headed off, not yet aware of how dire their situation was. _They'll find out,_ I shivered as Optimus Prime's half-blown head flashed across my mind. _For now, I'll take a nap,_ I winced in pain as I finally registered the pain I was in and made slow steps, anxious but also in no hurry to cross the gorge before I passed out.

* * *

As soon as I was in close proximity to the ship –and not in the damn thing, I found a nice spot in the shade to rest. Too lazy to call Sentinel, let alone haul myself onto the lift. _Just gotta be sure Rampage doesn't spot me…that can't be too hard can it?_ I repositioned so I had my back on the rock, and the rock blocked me from view from where the arachnoids and CrabbyCakes would be.

 _And now, I rest…_


	9. Chapter 9

**-Look at chapter 8 for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: I'm Your What?! (Optimal Situation)**

Plink.

Plink.

 _The hell?_

There was a pause, and then the sharp metallic noises continued. It made my head hurt, and that's all the motive I needed to rouse myself from my slumber. _I feel like I'm forgetting something…_ still in a daze, I drowsily stood to my feet and walked around the rock that was to my back for a reason, as I had soon found out. I stopped dead in my tracks as I watched Rampage tie metal cords onto a few of the arachnoids. Although he had his back to me, I still found myself stone-still. _Huh, so that's how they did it…_ I wanted to stop him, but the _gorge_ between us was a really good deterrent. That and the cords that connected the arachnoids to the ship were far from my reach. Sometimes, being five-one really sucked. I had my energon knife at the ready too, and by Primus I felt stupid for doing so. At the corner of my eye, I saw Rampage shift suddenly. I dove back behind the rock, _keep cool it's not like he spotted you or anything-!_ But considering that (at times) the Beast Wars universe hated me more than Waspinator, he had seen me, and the heavy round that blasted the area mere feet from me proved that.

"Oh this is cute! A scared little Maximal playing hide and seek!" Rampages' deep voice easily traveled across the gorge. Damn the guy had vocals.

He hadn't really seen me, if he had; he would have likely addressed me by a pet name. I was thankful that it wasn't his three-barreled rocket launcher he had used earlier.

"Come out, come out and plaaay"

I _flew_ out from behind my cover like a scared little bird, my hands out in surrender. Hey, I had my non-heroic moments too you know. I wobbled a little, still shaken _jeezum, I should have known that_ ** _one_** _round would have quite the blast radius_ , I winced as my left leg trembled some more. I couldn't see Crabby's expression, so I only guessed that he had a smug look.

"You surprise me again!" Rampage stroked his chin "Shouldn't you be with the Maximals?!"

"They _thought_ I'd be safer here!" I yelled back. Confident that I could project my own voice well enough, and that Rampage had really good audios "Took too much damage earlier!". The transmetal crab shook his head.

"I strongly suggest you leave then!" he aimed what closely resembled a harpoon gun at me, or my general vicinity. But that was enough for me to duck the hell down.

Plink.

 _He…warned me?!_ I watched as Rampage handed the cord to a group of arachnoids, and as they grabbed it, he transformed. Only after he entered tank-form did the little buggers tie the cord securely to him. I noticed that every one of the mechanical spiderlings had their own connection. _I wonder how long they waited for Megs' signal…_ I smacked my forehead and made a grab for my radio. _I don't care if this might screw with the plot! I'm not gonna let Rampage pull the Axalon down!_ And I pressed that button with a purpose. "Optimus you read?!"

The reply was almost instantaneous, :"Cassandra what's wrong?!":

 _Gee you might already know,_ I faintly heard Megatron gloat in the background, _shit!_ "Rampage is going to pull the Axalon into the ocean!"

:"…by the Matrix…":

"My thoughts exactly! _Please_ get your shiny Transmetal butt down here!" even when I gave the guy a hard time I was polite. After I clipped my radio back on, I ran/jumped to the lift and called Sentinel. I couldn't stand still for the life of me because the seconds that passed as the lift ascended were so achingly slow. _Come on come on come on –yes!_ As soon as I entered the command center I went straight to the weapon cache and grabbed my weapon of choice…a sniper rifle. Yes I was aware that it would be difficult handling it but I wasn't thinking straight. Using a maintenance shaft I quickly clambered onto the top of the Axalon. _Gotta make these shots count…should I try to shoot the cable that connects Rampage to the ship? Or should I just shoot the arachnoids…?_ I shook my head and focused onto my target, _who am I kidding, my aim isn't that good! I'll have better luck shooting near Rampages' fat ass!_ I chuckled as I imagined Rampage frowning because he was called fat, but had to regain my composure quickly. I took a deep breath, corrected my posture and fired the first shot. It was close (ish)…I hit his tank tread. I rolled my eyes; _by Primus I suck…I thought people did better under pressure!_ And what made things more intense was when he started _pulling_. So with a colorful word or two, I continued shooting.

* * *

It wasn't long before Optimus showed up and cut the cables, it only felt long because I had to brace myself and dodge falling rocks ranging in size from basketballs to small houses. I cannot express just how _fun_ that was. As I had foreseen, he engaged Rampage, the crab not at all intimidated by his size. I watched on with nervous eyes though as the Maximal leader moved his attention onto me shortly after he knocked Rampage back, which was a bad move on his part. I urgently pointed to where Crabby was picking himself up from the ground, ready for round two. But as fate would have it, Primal had no time to dodge the rocket…so he made due with deflecting it as he had done before. And of course, I clung onto the slick metal of the Axalon as best I could as I climbed toward the aft of the ship as it lunged forward, then began to teeter. _Whelp its official –I'm completely and utterly useless!_ My fingers dug into whatever nook they could find as the second half of the Axalon (the one that landed on solid ground mind you) finally fell over the edge. I held my breath as I waited, and released it as soon as I found an opportune time to jump. Crazy? Perhaps, but my boots were also equipped with adequate shock absorption.

I yelped once I hit the water.

Though the force was still enough to send a searing pain through my legs. Luckily, I was still strong enough to keep myself afloat and swim to the nearest bit of land. Or rather a jagged pinnacle, I was happy anyway. _Oh my aching body…_ I dragged myself onto the portion of the formation that _wasn't_ ninety degrees vertical. _Sure I tried to save the Axalon, but I just made myself look stupid –and damn it I KNEW what was going to happen!_ I peeked around my resting spot to see two bots observe the fate of the Axalon.

One looked distraught.

The other laughed maniacally with satisfaction and then leaped off the cliff.

 _Uh oh,_ I swallowed the lump in my throat once I realized I was in the water…with Rampage. I smacked my forehead. _Don't stress out dummy –that's how he finds people! He probably didn't see you!_ I recalled that moment where I had thought that same exact thing, and nearly got blown up. I sighed; _get a grip and call Optimus!_ I pulled off my radio and pressed the button _and_ got zapped. Apparently I never had the chance to upgrade to a _water-proof_ radio, and because of my poor planning I was stuck. _And now there's no way to hear from Optimus even though he's right there! And Cheetor too! This just –wait!_ I resorted to a much simpler method: yell and wave. Even though my voice cracked (a lot) and my arms were sore.

"Hey! Down here damn it!" I started waving both arms, appearing to be a deranged seal "Optimus, Cheetor! Gemme outta here before I'm crab chow!" I had to stop to rub my throat. "Owowowowow, okay that hurts –where was I? Oh yeah –Hey!" I crawled on my belly, but something prevented me from going any further.

I gasped as I was dragged underwater, that something revealing itself to be someone. _Ah too late, I'm crab food,_ I mused bitterly and shut my eyes, not wanting to get saltwater in my eyes (even if it was diluted by the freshwater of the waterfall). An arm secured me close to a torso, while a hand clamped over my mouth, which I found unnecessary because it wasn't as if I was going to scream _underwater_. _He's obviously hiding me from my friends…that jerk…_ and so I waited.

* * *

Once we broke the surface, I sucked in fresh oxygen. I didn't hyperventilate, but I was pretty damn close to doing so. I kept my body curled as he backstroked toward whatever shore he could find, that took a little while because the patch of sea we were in was framed by steep seventy to ninety-degree cliffs. As we arrived on a softly sloped incline, Rampage placed me on firm ground and transformed. I felt his claw grip - _Primus he's going to kill me!-_ then drop me onto the cold smooth surface that was his shell, _…or not_. I gripped whatever little contour I could find as he shifted into tank mode and revved up the slope. I remained curled, still trying to keep any body heat in but also because I was sore, so very _sore_.

I continued to keep quiet as Crabby crossed two different terrains, but eventually I had to yawn; and shortly after that, I passed out.

* * *

"…frrr…iends…?" I woke up groggily once I heard that all-too-familiar voice.

"Transmutate!" I hopped off of the back of Rampage (figuring it'd be rude to walk on his head to get off) but fell on my face on my way toward my deformed friend. Ruby optics beamed with delight and worry "…Cass…An…Dra" as a three-digit hand rested on my head, "…cold…hurt"

Although the 'hurt' part was obvious I had also noted that despite being completely dry after hours of travel, that I was very cold. I thanked Primus that Rampage was fairly warm despite being a marine animal "I'll recover…" I looked over my shoulder to see that Rampage had switched to bipedal mode. The marine-based Predacon sat on a rock and studied us thoughtfully.

"So uh…thank you…?" my eyes nervously eyed the space behind him. "For saving me, but I could have had Optimus give me a lift…"

"You're welcome" he replied blandly.

Blink.

"But you know…you were responsible for…" I trailed off once he started to adjust "…pulling the ship into the water…and…" guess he only wanted to get comfortable. His green optics bored into my reddish-brown eyes, encouraging me to go on. _This is so weird, talking to one of my favorite characters…who just so happens to be a mass-murderer,_ I smirked nervously, _and he's perfectly calm_ "You _did_ pull me under when I was so close to getting Primal's attention. So I must ask…why?"

"What if I wanted to bring you here? Seemed like a good opportunity"

"Opportunity…for what?" _oh dear Primus is he going to torture and kill me in front of Transmutate –oh don't be over-dramatic!_

"For Transmutate to see you again…"

I stared, dumbfounded.

"…and I have a question for you-"

"Will you kill me once the questioning is over?!" I blurted. _Smooth…asshat…_

Emerald optics widened, amused "No…unless, you _want_ to die"

"Nope!" I squeaked as my face went into my palms, I locked my eyes back on an amused Rampage "…go on…I won't interrupt anymore" _because the last thing I want to be in Rampage's company is rude…out loud anyway_

"How nice of you…" he stroked his chin "very unlike how you were _that_ night. You said some fairly rude things"

 _Damn he remembers that…awkward_ "Yeah…er, sorry about that…I was really stressed out that day…"

He hummed/chuckled "I figured". Transmutate began to pat me, I let it happen. "I wanted to ask: How did _you_ stumble into this war?"

"I…"

"Infernos' report claimed you appeared shortly after an anomaly correct?"

 _Why's he so interested? That was months ago! Guess he must be in his curious mood_ "Yes…I woke up in a forest"

"'You _woke up_ in a forest'?"

"Yep"

He eyed me skeptically.

"I don't want to be rude -again- but why ask? You're a Predacon and I'm with the Maximals…I'm surprised you haven't brought me to Megsy". He stifled a laugh.

"'Megsy'?"

"Yes, it's one of my nicknames for him" I down-casted my eyes and rolled my wrist "Sorry, resume". With an unidentifiable sparkle in his optics, Rampage stood up from where he was sitting and lumbered slowly toward me. _Please be a quick, painless death_ I didn't shut my eyes as he kneeled/ leaned over; "No, I have nothing else to ask you"

"Really? No more?"

"I did say I wanted to ask 'a' question"

"Excellent point" I nervously wriggled "Um…if it's not too much of a hassle I wish to ask-"

"You can go"

"Okay but why don't you-"

"Because I consider you a friend"

 _I'm your what?!_ I gaped like a fish, and then shook my head. "Wow, this is…a surprise…is that why you've been so…"

"Just go before I change my mind"

"Actually…I'd like to stay a little longer. I can tell Transmutate's missed me" I felt multiple locks of my hair being twirled about.

* * *

We spent a while in blissful silence, Rampage kept an eye on the entrance (and glanced at us when he thought I wasn't looking) while I taught Transmutate how to play Rock-Paper-Scissors and various other hand-games. Eventually though, I did feel a pressure build in my chest, _oh why not_ "I would like to share a small detail with you though" _because having Rampage as a friend kicks some serious ass_

"Oh?"

"I'm going to assume you won't tell Megatron, or any of the Predacons?"

The look he shot me confirmed everything.

 _Hmmmm…_ "I…haven't told anyone else-" I squeaked as he shot an annoyed glance at me "I remember going to bed after I watched the world news. I got such a headache I went straight to bed afterward thinking my world had gone to hell-"

"Language" he pointed at Transmutate, who listened intently.

"Sorry. When I woke up-" I purposely left out the watching of the Beast Wars videos on Youtube. I wouldn't confide that much in him "-I was in a jungle. As you have already known…"

Green optics darted away from the entrance and locked onto me with a bored glint.

"-and from there, there's not much to tell. Just that the Predacons found me first, but it was the Maximals that saved me"

"Lucky you" Rampage snorted "If Megatron had gotten his hands on you, he would have no doubt made you a mindless pet"

"Thanks for the reminder" I said dryly.

"You're welcome, anymore details?"

"Not really, just that before I went to bed I was inside…and in an area that was nowhere near a jungle" I sighed and rubbed my temples. I felt someone prod my back.

"…Frrrieeend…ooookaay…?"

I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself up. Patting my mutant friend as I did so "So it was nice seeing Transmutate again…but…"

"You wish to leave"

I rubbed my arm and nodded timidly.

"And where would you go?"

 _Wait so earlier he said I could go –oh wait, I see what he's doing_ "Can I at least try to radio Optimus? Far away from the cave of course" I knew very well that my radio was trash but that didn't mean I wouldn't try to fix it. It was difficult to read his expression, though I was sure he was smiling.

"…with-" he casually pulled out remnants of my walkie-talkie "-this?"

My jaw dropped as he kindly deposited the pieces of the communication device on the ground "You can try"

"You're a real friend Rampage" I plopped myself back down on the rock I had previously occupied.

"Why thank you"

I felt my face heat up, _why am I so easily flustered? Primus and he knows it too_ "Am I a prisoner now or what?"

Rampage tilted his head wryly "Why of course not. You're free to go whenever you wish"

 _Like you said before smartass, where would I go?_ I wiggled my nose at him, stood up and strutted right past him (because I'm stubborn). Once I was at the cave entrance, I stopped in my tracks, _I almost forgot_ "Thank you…for _not_ killing me" I _thanked_ him while I also waved goodbye "And it was good seeing Transmutate again". Transmutate mirrored the wave and gave a smile.

"…byyyye…"

And with another quick wave I bounded off. Still very aware that I was still aching and without communication…I was strangely okay with such a condition, probably because (as much as I adored Transmutate) I couldn't stand the awkward tension in Rampages' company even if he claimed that he thought of me as a friend. _That was strange_ I crashed through thick foliage as I made a blind effort of heading toward my old home. _I'll just have to wait and see…_

* * *

The soles of my boots scraped across the ground as I reached the edge of the overhang, fascinated how I was able to navigate all the way back to the site of the Axalon (minus the Axalon) using stars and landmarks. The distance from the hideout to the bluff the longest distance I had ever traveled in comparison to my patrol routes. _Yippee I did it!_ And so I fell right on my ass, too awake to fall asleep but too exhausted to stand. _I need to triple my routine_ "Heh" I flopped onto my back panting; my eyes gazed at the barely visible stars as they were blanketed by the coming of dawn. _Hope I didn't miss the search party_ I wheezed/chuckled "I would be all kinds of screwed" I continued to lie on my back, the crashing of waves distantly heard as well as…-

I shot up.

The distant whinny of an equine, my eyes scanned every conceivable angle before they finally rested on a large red transmetal horse as it galloped in my direction. _'Bout time!_ I signaled, waving my arms like a mad-woman even though I was already spotted, _I wonder if he would have dove into the sea…_

"There's my beloved steed!"

As he closed in, Trailblazer whickered. But once he got close enough, I could see the worry and relief in his beast modes' optics. The maximal too overjoyed to speak as he beckoned for me to get on by repeatedly butting his head against my body. Once I got on, adjusting for maximum comfort, I then patted his neck "Ride like the wind Bullseye!"


	10. Chapter 10

**-Look at chapter 8 for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Deep Metal**

 _Click. Click. Pan out. Inspect. Launch diagnostic._

"I never knew you had experience in computers"

 _Ignore_ , my eyes squinted as they studied the display for any faulty codes and/or viruses. My attention was on my assignment.

"Giving me the silent treatment huh?"

And not on our newest addition, although I had no issues with Blackarachnia -heck, I was happy that we had another tech savvy team member who just so happened to be one of my favorite beast warriors- sometimes I found being in her company was (how would one put it?) _tricky_. Particularly since she had joined our ranks two weeks prior to our little assignment together, in which we hadn't really interacted much in that time. _I suppose it would be childish to ignore her,_ "My apologies, it's difficult for me to talk and work at the same time. It's nothing personal" _well said…really hoping she doesn't poison me in my sleep_

Dark voids broadened. Only by a little "Ah, so you're not anti-social. You just can't multitask" whether she intended for it to be insulting or not…the truth hurt. I sighed bitterly, but smirked.

"I suppose…was that intended to be a double whammy or what?"

"To tell the truth; no"

"I'm going to refocus on the task at hand now"

She simply shrugged. We then went about mapping out any faults that we detected.

* * *

I stared at the wall thoughtfully. Thankful that I was able to cooperate with BA quickly and efficiently, the repairs being done in well under two hours…thus leaving me in my current state: Boredom. But it was the kind of boredom that initiated deep thought, which I didn't mind at all. _So what was after the Axalon being lost…_ I rubbed my temples _it's amazing how I can still remember so much from the show even when so much time passes between 'episodes'_.It must have been the suspense that made my head hurt, likely because I had a hunch on what episode I was drawing near…or already in. I swung my legs over my bed, _if I remember correctly DC's coming soon!_ My hands grasped my head, _oh the suspense!_ and my fingers twitched with the eagerness to do something. _Rhinox is working, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia are on guard duty, Rattrap and Dinobot are probably arguing somewhere, Primus knows what Trailblazer's doing, Optimus is…doing Optimus things, and so who does that leave? Maybe I can-_

A rapid knocking at my door made me sit up "Hey Cass you in there?"

 _Cheetor's probably just as bored as me, huh_ "Yeah, you can come in if you want" the room door opened, revealing Cheetor in beast mode. He was clearly ready for something.

"I was going to go on patrol with Trailblazer but I can't find him anywhere…so…you wanna come with?"

 _Yay! Outside!_ "I most certainly will. Have you told Optimus about the change in plan?" because self-assigning behind Optimus' back was a big no-no, mainly because everyone needed to do their part and follow orders. Why you ask? Because we had long since moved into Mount St. Hilary, and so 'eff-ups' were not tolerated.

"I was going to head to the command center once you said 'yes'"

 _Cheeky kid,_ I rolled my eyes and walked out into the hallway "Alrighty then" and made my way to our 'new' or rather 'same' command center, which was the good portion of the Axalon that hadn't sunk to the bottom of the sea. Apparently in their time of salvaging the Axalon, my absence had slowed their progress slightly as Optimus would also send search parties which consisted mainly of Trailblazer along with another beast warrior. Except for later that next day when Trailblazer had stuck around, whereas everyone else was hands-on deck for retrieving the rest of the Axalon. I, supposedly, had missed them by a half-hour. _At least good ol' Blazer stayed,_ I smirked at the thought of my loyal friend as I quickened my pace to a light jog whilst I reminded myself that I needed to triple my exercise. The exercise quickly becoming a race as Cheetor challenged me 'subtly'. And by subtly: "Race ya!" I meant outright wagging his tail in my face.

"Anything to get your chrome fly swatter out of my face!" I entered a dead sprint.

* * *

As we entered the command center, we were both in disbelief to see we had tied. _Oh well, no problem with that,_ the feeling Cheetor had was a little more optimistic "Nice! Guess I'm not the only cheetah around!" as he entered bot form, he held out his palm "High five!"

And so we high-five'd.

"I take it you are ready?" Optimus smiled softly.

"I sure am Big-Bot! But…I couldn't find Trailblazer. Is it okay if I bring Cassie instead?"

I heard some crashing followed by cursing. Trailblazer lumbered in clumsily with his arms full of scrap metal, a sure sign he was either reassigned because he was a whiner or…

"Trailblazer's convinced he can make our blast doors more resilient" Rhinox explained.

"Ah" requested he do a task too valuable for Optimus to pass up and _then_ was reassigned.

"Or he's just afraid of water-" Cheetor mumbled.

"I'll skin you and use your hide to reinforce these doors!" the transmetal horse's yell echoed from the hall that led to the blast doors, which startled Cheetor and made me cackle like a witch.

* * *

That same moment replayed in my head hours later as me and Cheetor reached the sector we were to survey. I suppressed chuckles as we neared the ocean "Hey the water looks nice wanna go for a swim?"

"Oh _haha_ "

 _Hehehe he's as salty as the ocean after being singled out by Trailblazer_ "You're not angry are you? After all, you were in such a good mood this morning…"

"Yeah I'm okay…it's just, does Trailblazer hate me or something? He's been acting weird" and there he was again, concerned about another's well being. Primus I adored that kid.

 _He has been acting a little off since the Axalon had sunk…but I don't think he'd take out his anger on a single person,_ I recalled that moment when he found me by the bluff. He was very relieved…and something else. There was no doubt something had happened between him and our team during my absence. His bitterness grew slightly when we had returned that night -it was also a long journey from the bluff to the Maximal's new base, and Optimus had assigned me a room right away. Not that our fearless leader knew, but the room I was given was nowhere near Trailblazers' new room, and that may have upset my 'big brother'. "…he's…he'll get better. Just needs some time to readjust after all the stressful nonsense he's been through" I reassured the young cat.

"Huh, that's right…he thought you died"

 _Oh my_ I shook my head before I had the chance to recollect that frightening ordeal, _no need for that, focus on the task at hand-_ "Whoa!" but I didn't focus fast enough as I failed to notice Cheetors' brake maneuver. I clutched whatever I could to avoid flying off and then set my panicked eyes on a…meteor? No, not a meteor, but something more exciting. _Depth Charge's ship!_

"Cheetor to Optimus do you copy?"

 _FishBoy is coming! Yay!_

:"Optimus here, what is it Cheetor?":

"We're in grid Alpha 7, something's coming out of the sky…something hot"

"It's a ship, try not to get us flattened" I warned Cheetor, the cat gave a half-assed grin.

:"Follow it you two! And stay in touch, I'm on my way!":

We continued to gaze at the ship as it burned from entry…and as it got closer and closer, Cheetor finally saw that I was right.

"Hey you're right it's a…a StarHopper?! No!"

I thanked Primus that it was angled so it would have landed in the water, "…come on, whoever's in there might need our help"

"Yes ma'am…but first" the transmetal feline flew over and landed gracefully on the top of the nearest cliff. Without a single word of protest, I hopped off, even when I knew it was _that_ area of the cliff.

"Careful. Something might jump out and bite you" I grinned as Cheetor shot a _'shut up'_ glance and flew away. But my grin melted away into a frown as I watched the waves claim the StarHopper, _damn…it really is a cool little ship_ I sat and my legs dangled over the cliff. Not a care in the world -well, that was until I soon heard the sound of a tank in the distance, _oh shit-_ I slung myself over the edge of the cliff and hung there. While hidden, I heard Rampage roll up and whisper something, and then laugh maniacally. I didn't need to peek over my cover to know what he was going to do next. _Nope!_ I pulled out my (new) walkie-talkie and pressed the button in one quick motion, "Cheetor incoming!" a pair of red/orange optics snapped in my direction, but not on the missile that scored a direct hit. I stayed down in the off-chance that the crab had heard me but wasn't sure where I was-

A massive claw tightened around me.

Which he knew, ugh. I wriggled as he hummed and scuttled down a soft slope, stopping inches from the tide. He set me right down.

"Maybe some other time my dear" and headed right into the ocean. _Really, he had to drag me all the way down here? I swear the jerk just likes to make things more difficult for me…_ I groaned at the thought of running uphill, and with a sigh, I hurried back over to where my post was.

* * *

I sat on my butt for maybe a good ten minutes or less before I saw a transmetal manta ray shoot out of the water and swivel his wings to become a mini StarHopper. I eagerly watched the new Maximal as he flew toward the nearest (but smallest) outcropping that jut out of the water. _FishyFish!_ My eyes widened as I saw another figure as they were deposited on the rock, _poor Cheetor_. I watched in awe as the flying manta ray shifted into bipedal mode and revealed a male Cybertronian. A very familiar Fish-Faced Cybertronian. I felt like a creeper, but I just couldn't stop staring at the two as they exchanged some words. I was about to pull out my walkie-talkie and request an introduction (and a chance to fix up poor Cheetor because I had a repair kit), only to be too late to do so as the manta-Maximal jumped up into flight form and went…wherever. _Damn it,_ I pulled out my walkie-talkie anyway.

"Yo Cheetor!"

:"Cassie?! You okay? I'm so sorry I almostforgotaboutyou!":

"Breathe Cheetor. I'm okay…it's actually you I'm worried about"

:"…oh…uh, I'll be fine. Just got blindsided by a rocket that's all…by the way, _who_ did fire that rocket?":

"Rampage"

:"Oh that –Ugh I shoulda known he'd pull that cheap move!":

"Sorry, I tried to warn you…"

:"It's okay, my fault for being a slow-poke":

"Hey, did you catch the new guys' name?"

:"Yeah, he goes by 'Depth Charge'":

I suppressed a squeal "Where did he go?!" _to go fight Rampage, or in his case 'X'…_

:"He said something about Protoform X and not wanting to disappoint him":

I face-palmed, and with the need to correct him "Cheetor, Protoform X _is_ Rampage" I corrected him.

:"Uh oh, you think he'll be okay?!":

 _Uh oh is right,_ I sighed "I'm sure he will, he looked like a big guy…"

:"…yeah I guess…":

"Now we wait" I placed my walkie-talkie back on my belt, and I waited. I didn't need to wait too long before two bots burst out of the ocean. One being Depth Charge in flight mode, the other being Rampage clinging onto him as they both soared across the sky and toward some other shore. I lost sight of them, but only because I saw someone massive approach me…I signaled Optimus as he carried a damaged Cheetor in my direction. As he closed in, he gestured with his hand "Hop on!"

"Sir yes sir!"

* * *

It took us a while to find them, or rather the little yellow speck watching them. I gasped as I saw Quickstrike (the little bastard) gun down a damaged Depth Charge "Optimus-"

"Already on it" the ape-jet fired off two rockets. Both of which weren't detected by the fuzor until they were too close to dodge and successfully sent the snake-scorpion flying. As we hovered over the ground, me and Cheetor jumped off and allowed Optimus to maximize. "It's him…" he said at just above a whisper "Let's get him back to base"

"But what about-?" we gasped to see that Rampage was absent, _man I'll never get used to how quiet and_ _quick_ _he is!_ I shuddered as my eyes panned the area. There was no trace of the crab.

"I think he's had enough…for now"

* * *

After he was carefully loaded onto Optimus' flight form (with assistance by Optimus, and Cheetor doing most of the lifting) we took Depth Charge back to our heavily fortified base. The CR chamber was our first priority as we made a beeline for it once we got through the blast doors. From there, a group of us (consisting of everyone who had waited in the show plus me and Trailblazer) hung around the CR chamber with high hopes FishBoy recovered nicely. In the meantime, we chatted and joked and played some more of Trailblazers' convoluted card game…which he and Rattrap seemed to do just fine and gave me hard-time when I sheepishly quit. Yeah, it was fun. And what was interesting was that Trailblazer seemed to be getting along with the rat again. I figured Rattrap was one of our team members that didn't upset Trailblazer the day I disappeared. I honestly wondered who. I didn't get to think too much before Cheetor poked me.

"Hey Cass?"

"I didn't do it!" I dramatically straightened, which earned a laugh or two. As that was my intention.

"On a serious note" Cheetor tried to contain his chuckle "I wanted to ask how you survived Rampage"

"Now that you bring that up" Trailblazer looked up from his cards "I kinda want to know too"

"Yeah Cass- _an-dra_ , what'd CrabLegs do to ya?" Rattrap put emphasis on the last two syllables of my name, prepped to give me a hard time. I smiled.

"Why he took me to a nice little cave and offered tea and crumpets and told me he wanted to be my friend"

Rhinox snorted somewhere in the room. Cheetor tilted his head.

"Hey…wait a sec-"

"I was being facetious Cheetor, don't hurt yourself"

Trailblazer sniggered. "Cute…but what _really happened_?"

"Yeah, all I saw was you disappearing underwater you know!" Cheetors' voice strained a little. I decided not to stress him out any further.

"That was Rampage. I can't say where he carried me, I was unconscious. All I can tell you is that he just dumped me in the middle of some forest and from there I walked back to where the Axalon sunk" I lied. Something I strangely had gotten better at.

"So nothin'? No torture? No taunts?" Rattrap gave me his best doubtful look.

I just shrugged and watched as him and Trailblazer resumed their game.

* * *

Much later on, when the repair cycle was almost complete, we all gathered around DC.

"So uh…who is this herring anyway?" Rattrap asked as DC was still in the process of recovering. Canon being set back on course.

"Depth Charge was in charge of security for colony Omicron. Protoform X escaped there…and leveled the colony"

I rubbed my arms, anyone else in the room thankfully not paying any attention to it. They probably just thought I was cold, which I was a tad bit.

"Only Depth Charge survived" Rhinox added grimly.

"From then on Depth Charge hunted Protoform X. After four stellar-cycles he brought him back to Cybertron and asked the High Council for a way to destroy his spark"

 _Raw shard of energon…I'm gonna have to find a way to stop that_ I recollected Rampages' words _'because I consider you a friend'_ it amazed me how much determination I felt then and there.

"They turned him over to us instead…Depth Charge wasn't too happy with the decision"

 _Hmmmm…_ my eyes wondered over to the CR display. It was at ninety-eight percent. _Almost done…_

"eehhhh so he's got a lot of angst. The question is…how'd he get here?"

 **:Repair Cycle Complete:**

"Now's our chance to ask"

I walked over toward Rhinox just as the CR hatch opened. DC's red slits scanned the ceiling for a brief moment before they landed on Optimus. His reaction was (in my case) predictable.

"The _Pit_ are you"

"I suppose I have _changed_ last time we met…" Optimus mused.

" _Primal_?"

"The one and only" I added my two cents, figuring it was as good a time as ever to make myself known. Slanted red optics shot over to me and got much (much) wider.

"A human?!"

I rolled my eyes and performed 'jazz hands' "Tada". Optimus chuckled at my behavior, considering it seemed to lighten up the tense atmosphere in the room.

"Yes…she's with us, has been for quite some time. Some kind of anomaly brought her…" the giant transmetal ape cocked his head "…which brings me to the question: why are you here?"

"And how" I helpfully pointed. Depth Charge glanced at me, and then settled with a scowl…toward Optimus.

"Don't know, some kind of 'anomaly' trashed my ship…" red slants narrowed "I was searching the galaxy-" as he pointed an accusatory finger "for _your_ mistake". The big monkey frowned. _And now we're back to square one…awkward!_

"Just wait a damn second FlounderBoy!" I had waited for such a moment, even when I once thought it wasn't possible…but hey, it was. And I would not tolerate someone chastising Optimus, even if the big monkey had done regrettable things in his past. He was my leader and the closest thing I had to an uncle figure in the Beast Wars universe. And because of my bold move, 'FlounderBoy' stared me down. _Here goes nothin'!_ "You trying to tell me you oh-so-kindly carried a grudge across the _galaxy_?!"

"This doesn't concern-"

"Oh ho but it does Fins! And everyone else in the room!" I walked up and started poking the hell out of his knee "because we don't need some stubborn water-logged hard-ass dumping all his _personal feelings_ on us!"

Rattrap, Cheetor, and Trailblazer tried their absolute best to suppress their laughter. Depth Charge kneeled so he could be eye-level with me, and it was _terrifying_. "I hate to disappoint you, but we're currently in a war and Optimus is our leader! And I'll tell you now, he has done a superb job at keeping all of us alive" I leaned forward "we have plenty of problems here, and if you came just to add more trouble-" I jabbed a thumb in the direction of the blast doors "Front door is that way _pal_!".

I didn't realize it, but my legs shook slightly. And I seemed…out of breath? Oh well, it felt good anyway. DC continued to glare at me, but something unexpected happened. He 'smiled'.

"Wow…little spitfire you got here Primal" the manta stood back to full height "Said something about a war? Huh, sounds like _another_ screw-up of yours"

The blood in my body seemed to rush to my face. _Ah hell nah!_ I started to march forward with the intention to inflict some pain. Fortunately, Rhinox seized me (gently) and held me in place-

"Maybe" _and_ Optimus could defend himself perfectly fine "But I've been fighting the Beast Wars for some time now and as Cassandra has said, I have had a fair deal of hardships to deal with" green optics darkened "Even to this day, our problems grow. Rampage for example-"

DC winced.

"He's _been_ with the Predacons and has made himself a complete and total nuisance time and time again" the transmetal ape sighed "You came here for X? That's just Prime, however, I'd appreciate it if you cooperated with us in the meantime. Once we take down Megatron, we can deal with Rampage" he held out his massive orange/red servo "What do you say?".

In a moment of feigned deep thought, DC sneered "I say…you **really** blew it. Now, where's the way out?"

"Well I _did_ point it out for you NumbNuts" I jeered and left in a hurry. _Sure I like him…but damn he's such a hard-ass during his introduction_ I blinked, and mentally corrected myself _…or the duration of the series_.

* * *

On my way toward my room, a large hand stopped me. I looked over my shoulder and right into cobalt optics, "Oh hey Bud, hope you don't mind me going to bed earlier than usual…new guy kinda gave me a migraine"

"Hey, you made a smart move…he was a complete jerk up until the point where he left"

I raised both my eyebrows "How so?" and asked sarcastically.

"He completely blew everybody off, but you probably already knew that" Trailblazers' blue optics dimmed "he even smacked poor Cheetor, the kid only wanted to thank him for rescuing him"

I sighed "I was there too, DC _seemed_ friendly enough"

"That guy is strange"

"Aren't we all" I opened my room door; Trailblazer patted my shoulder and said 'good night' before he ambled away. And so I was all alone with my thoughts, my feet shuffled toward my bed.

 _DC's surely going to find out my ties to Rampage, if there are any. By the matrix I wonder why he considers me a friend…could it be that Transmutate likes me? Perhaps…-_ I yawned as my eyelids grew heavy, my thoughts shifted over to other concerns.

 _I wonder how Transmutate is doing in that cave. Rampage better be taking good care of her –oh who am I kidding, of course he is! Say, I hope him and DC don't cancel each other out before the Beast Wars are over…I don't want them to die, although one of them is a mass-murderer. That mass-murderer seems to 'like' me…in his own little way-_ I rolled onto my side _I won't let anyone die, I seem to be doing a good job at it, I saved Dinobot and Transmutate…so what's two more Beast Warriors? Though I didn't get to save Airazor and Tigatron...I'm sure I can find some way to change up the endgame…and when this is all over? What will happen when we get back on Cybertron? Cybertron-_ and so my thoughts transitioned into ANOTHER worry – _We'll have a whole set of different problems once we get back to Cybertron…uuuggghhhh_. My eyes shut, and stayed shut.

I fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Transformers: Beast Wars. *sniff***

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Changing of the Guard**

"Looks like these reinforced doors held pretty well, good job Trailblazer" I complimented as I inspected the blast doors, both of which were still in good condition aside from a variety of different sized dents. Those dents the result of a half-assed assault led by Megatron the day before, the attack pointless yet prolonged because of the lack of hands…and the Grape-Faced tyrant's tenacity. A small handful of the Maximal team had complained that that same attack could have been shortened if a certain manta ray had been present whereas I stood on the sidelines unsure whether to defend the stubborn guy or not…Depth Charge had, after all, just arrived several days before the assault. I figured he was still adjusting.

"Yeah, I guess so-" the horse-former grunted as he pressed out another dent from the detached plating with a special tool "still gotta deal with these dents though" and welded it back in place. I hummed and did the same with a smaller piece. It was easy work, but because of all the dents it was time-consuming. Thankfully, me and Trailblazer had started very early (with Optimus's permission of course) to start the repair. And so when we were finished, there was nothing to do for 'our help' as they strolled around the corner.

"Heh, and big monkey said you guys would need our assistance-" Rattrap studied our work "assistance my _tail_ …nice work ya two" as he held up both his palms, we high-fived him.

"So you feeling better?" Cheetor looked at Trailblazer, a small tinge of guilt in his optics.

"You know kid, it's not you or RatFace I'm mad at…"

My eyes glanced between the two, then on the ground "Trailblazer, if you don't mind me asking; what _did_ happen?"

Rattrap scratched the back of his head "Will ya be satisfied if we jus' said 'Dinobot'?"

"Oh, that makes sense. Other than you, Dinobot likes to argue with Trailblazer quite often"

"A little too often" Trailblazer huffed "honestly, I enjoy a good argument. But Dinobot just _ticked me off_ that day-"

We casted worried glances at Rhinox as we heard a rattling, and then flinched when the object of the rhino's attention blew up in his face. I winced and resumed our topic of that morning.

"Have you two ever apologized…?" I blinked as I was given a blank stare by PonyBoy "it would be a good start"

Cheetor and Rattrap nervously shifted on their feet "We should all probably report back ta boss monkey now" my rat-faced friend patted my shoulder.

"I agree. Cass? We can talk about this later"

"Okay…"

* * *

After that _fun_ group chat, and Rhinoxs' unsuccessful attempt at utilizing Teletraan-1's shield as our own, we all gathered around the holographic display of the strategy table by Optimus' request…with some protest by Rattrap about the 'plan B', that being someone had to go salvage Sentinel. And we all had one bot in mind.

"Optimus to Silverbolt, do you copy?"

:"Silverbolt here":

"Any sign of Depth Charge yet?"

 _Nope, because he's as elusive as a frickin' unicorn_

:"I, am afraid not. I believe he may be inside Megatrons' jamming zone":

There was a snort from Dinobot. Optimus hummed.

"Abort search and return to base immediately"

"Ehhhh so much for plan B-" Rattrap feigned disappointment but was slapped upside the head.

"Quiet vermin" Dinobot snarled and walked closer to the table "We must think of an alternative then"

Optimus nodded "There might be another way" and smiled.

* * *

We walked to another room –one of the storage rooms to be correct, to find a very busy Blackarachnia working on a submersible. I watched with curious eyes as she made some last second adjustments. Rattrap sniggered as he walked up for a closer inspection "Hehehe, what the heck is it? Besides _ugly_ "

"Shut up Rattrap" I smirked when BA gave me a nod of approval.

"It's a sub-aquatic stealth vessel garbage breath" she ran a claw over her invention and pressed something to open it up "it's powered completely by hand…no noise, no energy signature" and pressed that same button to close it, an electronic beep confirmed it had been sealed.

"Clever"

"It should do the job"

"Naturally…" she walked over to a table "so when do I leave?"

 _Actually…_

"You don't" Optimus corrected.

 _Hmmm…_ "I can do it" he intended to send Rattrap, so when I unexpectedly volunteered, Optimus shifted his worried green optics over onto me.

"…Are…are you sure? I was going to send Rattrap-"

"What-YOW!" the rat was slapped upside the head, again, by Dinobot.

"Is it because he's small and knows what to look for?" _I want to do something right for a change!_ "Because I fit that description too"

"…yes, but I didn't think you'd want to go back down there…"

"Nah, I'm not afraid of a watery abyss. Sign me up"

There was a soft chuckle from Dinobot as Optimus's optics went wide, "It seems she's recovered quicker than one would assume" the raptor (in his beast form) walked up to me and patted my shoulder.

"Okay…I'll send you in with Silverbolt once he gets back"

"Awesome!" I skipped over to the submersible to better understand its' functions.

* * *

I was sure I waited at the blast doors, Optimus beside me with the submersible in his hands. And so once Silverbolt arrived I hopped straight into the tiny vessel. The Maximal leader made sure it was properly fastened to the heavy-duty cable that Silverbolt was to carry, and when that was done, we flew off back to the gorge.

And yes, the ride was very nauseating (I thanked Primus I ate early).

"We're approaching the target area…how are you faring in there Cassandra?"

"Peachy…" I looked up to see bird-dog give a small smile "also helps when the vessel is just right for my size too. Though, I can't imagine how bitter Rattrap would be if he were in here"

"I would imagine he would be quite miserable...the target is dead ahead, are you ready for drop?"

"Do it"

I was dropped. I braced myself as the mini-submarine impacted the water's surface, "Oomf!" and placed my hands on the crank to start mobility. It was hard at first because of the mechanical resistance, but once the gears started rotating, I was able to keep at a steady pace. "Yeah sure this is fun…just keep cranking or else you'll sink" I quickly turned on the lights in time to swerve around a boulder, _damn that was close, I should probably have turned those on_ ** _before_** _I started cranking_ I scolded myself under my breath as I journeyed through the ocean and kept an eye out for any large shape that would have hinted toward a ship –or half of one anyway. I enjoyed my time down there, given how I'd never been that deep underwater, and for such a long duration. Curious fishes and even sharks swam up to greet me as I maneuvered around kelp and other plant life that would have snared me.

:"Silverbolt to Cassandra, what is your status?":

"Not fish food yet"

There was a faint chuckle, :"You seem to be enjoying yourself?":

"I most certainly am" _It's pretty down here,_ I steered around more jagged rocks, _this is the first mission that's NOT on land…no pressure…_

:"Any sign of wreckage?":

"Plenty…" I shivered and shook my head, snapping my attention back to my surroundings. And it was good timing too as I saw none other than the other half of the Axalon, _Primus…_ "Wait, I found it" I steered the submersible toward the hallway that I knew led to Sentinel.

:"Standing by":

A small chill traveled down my spine as I went down the ghostly corridor and ultimately to the room that held the Maximals valued security program. "Oookay dokey then, easy does it" I manually extended the claw "caaaarefully, caaaarefully –yes!" and succeeded in grasping it, _now all I need to do is-_ I screamed as something long and green busted through the loose panel in front of me…and after realizing it was an eel, it took me a few seconds to regain my composure.

"Damn it all to the Pit, the little bugger actually got me" I grabbed at my chest and willed my heartbeat to slow down. After it had, I released my hold over my heart and slowly pulled on the lever to move the submersible backward. Sentinel easily slid out as I did so, _okay, okay I got this, actually got the thing out before-_ a loud beeping from the radar gave me another jump-scare and my mouth dropped at the sight of an incoming enemy. And I had a very good idea who.

"Ah CrabCakes" _I don't need any distractions…_ I remembered that time at the shore when DC arrived _'Maybe some other time my dear'_ echoed in my head, _oh okay, walked right into this one!_ "Come on, come on! Back up-!"

A massive claw crunched down on the vessel; _uh oh,_ green optics sparkled at the sight of me.

"Why hello! You certainly do have a knack for showing up where I least expect you!" Rampage eased his grip, but there was mischievous intent in his crab-optics "To be honest, I thought you were the rat"

I gulped and eyed Sentinel worriedly "Hehehe, uh, funny you should say that…I uhm, volunteered in his place"

Mandibles shifted into a 'smile' "After what happened to you all those weeks ago-?" he brought the aquatic ball-o-death closer to his face "And I thought you'd never want to be near water ever again! My, you are _courageous_ " then came that dreaded moment where he eyed Sentinel. He hummed, very much interested… "And what is this?" as his other claw hovered over Sentinel.

"Rampage" I narrowed my eyes, _I will NOT fail this_ "Don't. You. _Dare_ "

"I thought friends shared? And what is with that tone –oohooo I rather like it! You should use it more often! It makes things so much more fun-!"

"You want _fun_ creep?!" bright gold energy discs ripped through the darkness and knocked me and Rampage off the underwater cliff. As the crab fell, or rather sunk, down, I quickly cranked so I wouldn't go any deeper. As I maintained a decent level, I found my eyes on the big golden ones of a large transmetal ray. And oh boy, he looked _surprised_.

"What are _you_ doing here?!"

 _Getting shit done…_ "Not now! I need you to keep Rampage away from Sentinel!"

Golden optics stayed fixed on me for a full five seconds before DC blinked "Get out of here before you get yourself hurt" and then swam off to engage Rampage. _And he thinks I can't take care of myself –oh well, I got a job to do!_ I made my way to the surface and pushed my arms to crank faster, _please don't get blown up, please don't get blown up_ and thankfully, I broke the surface in one piece. Upon my return, the winged wolf greeted me.

"You are alright! And you have Sentinel, good work!"

 _No time for praise!_ "Yea, yea, now get me the heck outta here… _please_ " I said hastily, sure to throw in a ' _please_ ' in order to not be completely rude.

"What's wrong? Do you have injuries I can't see?"

"No, no it's not that. Rampage and Depth Charge are tearing up the sea floor, I got out of there as fast as I could" I pointed to Sentinel "We should really leave, as in now"

"I understand. Hold on!" he got a hold of the vessel, and grunted a little at the weight he had to lift as we ascended "this-" grunt "-load is-" another grunt "-rather heavy-"

 _I ain't-!_ I squeaked loudly at the sight of a very familiar green flier "Silverbolt watch out!" but that proved to be futile when my fuzor friend was shot.

"Waspinator help! Hehehe" shot by an opportunistic Waspinator.

 _Next time I see that little bug-faced jerk I'm gonna-ARGH!_ I grunted in pain as I bounced off of a rocky surface, and _kept_ grunting as the vessel _continued_ to rebound off of multiple solid objects as if I were in some sick game of pinball.

"Ow-" grunt "-shit-" grunt "-erg-" grunt "-sunuva-" growl, hiss "- _motherfu-_ " and then I finally rolled across the sandy shore. The mini-submarine (unfortunately) had not had a roll-cage or any kind of cushioning. The hatch popped open, and I pitifully rolled onto the sand "Ouchie". _I…almost…forgot…about…that…part…_ I wheezed.

"You take this back to the boss bug-eyes, I'll clean up these here Maxi's"

My eyes shot up to see Quickstrike hand Waspinator Sentinel, _seriously?!_ "Nope!" I whipped out my blaster, but held my trigger-finger _don't shoot you idiot! You'll damage Sentinel!_ I frowned as bright red optics focused on me, _no duh I knew that! Maybe –no! I'll use that as a last resort!_

"Well whaddo we have 'ere? I gotta bone to pick with you lil' missy!" the Predacon fuzor stomped toward me eagerly. I aimed center mass and fired away, which proved to be a predicted move as Quickstrike easily sidestepped the rounds "Hehehe, you're not that great ah shot small fry!" and took a few swipes at me. I dodged his cobra head and landed a punch, but that only stunned him. I had to remind myself that human fists weren't that lethal against Predacons, so I went with the next best alternative. I kicked him hard in his abdomen, and that succeeded in knocking him down, _yeah now stay –eep!_ Apparently my reflexes decided **not** to work in that moment as Quickstrike's cobra landed a swift hit and sent me into the same position he was in. Difference was, he had more time to recover.

"Come on now, you're a tough girlie hehe…" he aimed the cobra, "now get up so I can-yeAAHH!" completely oblivious to Silverbolt as the bird-dog fuzor threw him across the shore. And if that didn't finish the job, an airborne Rampage sure did as the crab crushed him. I took Silverbolts' hand and helped myself up, and couldn't help but giggle at the strange sight.

"I didn't know Rampage had a flight mode"

"I uh-" the White Knight chortled "don't think he does" we both turned our heads once we heard something -or someone- emerge from the water. Depth Charge easily towered over both of us as he approached.

"Quickly, we must pursue Waspinator!" Silverbolt only got a shake of the fist from DC.

"Outta my way, I got a job to finish" red optics glanced at me, I didn't quite catch the expression.

"No!"

DC stopped.

"Waspinator has the Sentinel control module. If Megatron get his hands on it-" Silverbolt was grabbed by the scruff of his neck. _This time Rhinox ain't here to stop me FishBoy!_

"Put him down!"

I was ignored. "That's your war, I've got my own" DC's optics narrowed dangerously. And since I was feeling especially stupid that day I pulled out my blaster and shot DC on the shoulder. Gasping in surprise, DC dropped Silverbolt.

"Then maybe you should remember what it means to be a Maximal!" my eyes wandered over to a damaged Silverbolt "come on 'Bolt, we got a bug to squash" with a nod, bird-dog transformed. As I hopped on, I was sure to give Depth Charge the same gesture he gave Silverbolt earlier. When we got some distance cleared, I looked over my shoulder to see Depth Charge looking right back at me with a solemn expression. Or maybe it was my imagination.

* * *

Soaring through the air, we eventually caught up to Waspinator. "Looks like the module is a little heavy for him, hey, you feeling brave?"

"I suppose, what do you have in mind?"

"How does a Power-Dive sound?"

He hummed "I…I do, but, are you sure you can pull it off? You might get hurt"

"I'll live…" I smirked and readied my blaster "just get as close as you can".

Silverbolt closed in quietly, undetected by Waspinator as he got close enough for me to shoot the green flier right in his (bug) abdomen. _Karma's a bitch,_ I stood and then bounced once on Silverbolts' head (while uttering an apology) as I performed a few flips and then nose-dived. Silverbolt got a good grip on my legs as I did so. With a howl, the bird-dog dove down, ready for the finishing move of the aerial maneuver as we sliced through the air.

My head was mere feet from the ground as I dangled upside-down with Sentinel in my grip. The excitement too strong to have felt nausea as all the blood rushed to my head.

"That was some nice flying!" I peered up at Silverbolt, who smiled –but that smile went away when he caught sight of something in front of us. A falling tree made me gasp as I was completely sure that Silverbolt was too close to dodge it. However, the bird-dog pulled a wild-card and quickly tossed me to the side. And since I was not ready, I relinquished my grip on Sentinel out of surprise, my only goal being to make my landing as less painful as possible. _Oops…_ the module fell, but was thankfully caught by Silverbolt, _I should really stop worrying so much, things seem to like to go according to the plot,_ I watched on with worried eyes from the edge of the cliff.

"Give me the module or burn Maximal-!"

"Yo 'Bolt I'm open!" I yelled as loud as I could from above/behind the fuzor. Without any delay and likely guessing my position, Silverbolt tossed the module backward and as far up as he could. It was a heavy catch, but I caught it none-the-less. I booked it as fast as I could into the forest.

"Stand and fight wench!"

"Shrivel up and die ant!" I yelled over my shoulder and pumped my legs faster. It was no secret that I was one of the quickest on the Maximal team. Although I was hindered by my condition, I could still dodge Infernos' shots, but I ultimately slowed down near a thin rocky bridge.

"You have nowhere to go" the fire ant's large frame blocked my way and then advanced. I tightened my grip, a pointless effort as Inferno simply grabbed my throat and ripped Sentinel from my hands. _Gee he's a lot more hostile than I remember him_ I placed both hands on Inferno's arm, not sure why, but did so anyway. I guess it would be a reflex?

"No!" Silverbolt flew in and stopped mid-air as he found himself in Infernos' crosshairs.

"One wrong move and you will _burn_ fuzor!"

My eyes wandered to Sentinel as a grim thought resurfaced, _never thought I'd have to resort to the last resort_ I pulled out my blaster, an action unbeknownst to Inferno as he taunted Silverbolt and shook the module in his face, _in case it fell in enemy hands…_ and in one swift motion, I aimed and fired at Sentinel. The module was blown out of Inferno's hand. And if the shot itself didn't destroy it, the crash on solid ground that reduced it to itty-bitty pieces probably did the trick.

"No!" angry red optics narrowed at me "You insolent –AHH!" and so I punched one of them and shattered the lens. Whether he wanted to or not, Inferno threw me. The fire-ant (though shocked) still aware enough to blast Silverbolt when the fuzor made his attempt to catch me, and so that left me plummeting to my death, or almost plummeting to my death as I landed into a pair of large hands instead. "I've got you" DC murmured and cradled me protectively to his chest, _uhhhhmmm, did he bump his head? It's not normal to go from a Grade-A asshole to 'here let me cradle you like a damn baby',_ my confused eyes looked up into red ones as the manta landed close to Inferno and blasted away the enraged fire-ant before he could roast Silverbolt. A jet or two of fire and a few death threats later, Inferno then retreated. Once the red figure became a speck, I sighed as loud as I could.

"As fun as this was…I'd really like to head home now"

* * *

We flew home wordlessly, (I rode on top of DC's manta-flight mode, too tired to be excited) and the silence persisted even as we arrived on base. Well, that was until we reached the command center and Optimus saw the condition me and Silverbolt were in.

"By the Matrix…"

"Sentinel has not fallen into Megatron's hands" Silverbolt limped up next to DC, and then collapsed.

"Dinobot, bring Silverbolt to the R chamber"

Snarling, the raptor walked over and pulled the fuzor to his feet and half-carried him to his much needed destination. Optimus' green optics locked onto me, a soft smile present on his lips, _oh my…that's going to be gone soon enough_

"Good work"

"Don't thank me just yet" I extended my arms to clearly show I was empty-handed.

"Where…-?"

"I destroyed it"

Dead silence. Then:

"Hehe, that's a kick in-" a ferocious glare from OP shut Depth Charge up. That same intense look snapped back to me.

"Why?"

"Because it was either that or have it in enemy clutches"

There was a hum from Rhinox "…if the situation was that dire…"

"Still, are you sure there were no other options?" green optics studied me.

"Absolutely" I felt my eyelids get heavy. _Or at least from my point of view there were none..._

"How about you Depth Charge?"

"Why me?"

"Did you assist Silverbolt and Cassandra when they needed it?"

"…I was kind of busy with Rampage"

I coughed.

"Of course-" there was a sharp exasperated sigh "if you weren't damaged I'd scramble your circuits"

"Don't let that stop ya Primal"

I coughed again, and got both bot's attention "He still kept Rampage off my back and saved me from falling to my death-"

"She also shot me" the manta-ray mumbled.

"-…please show _some_ leniency for whatever sportsmanship he did offer"

Optimus looked surprised; a small flicker of hope for his thick-headed acquaintance was present in his optics "Is this true?"

DC only shrugged "You're not gonna get gushy on me are you?"

"No, you still cost us a major strategic advantage by not lending support when she-" OP pointed at me "and Silverbolt needed it the most. Proof that you can't continue to operate on your own…" and then held out one of his massive orange hands "…we need you Maximal"

"I'll think about it" red slants looked down at me, and for the first time since he had been in the Maximal team he 'smirked' "this team sure needs _something_ " and then looked back at OP, winking as he slapped the giant metal ape's palm.

"Good…" green optics winced at my battered frame "...you wouldn't mind taking Cassandra to her room would you?"

"Doesn't she need-"

I smacked his chest, a sure sign I didn't want an argument. Funniest thing was that Optimus knew what he was talking about when he wanted me delivered straight to bed instead. Rhinox knew too. " **Bring me to my quarters, slave**!"

"...nevermind…" DC drawled in defeat "I don't want to know" and ambled into the hallway. As we got further down the hallway I looked over his shoulder and gave Optimus and Rhinox a thumbs up when the manta wasn't looking. Both Maximals grinned in return. With a smile, I adjusted for comfort and started barking directions to my room.

And even if he kept a stoic face, I could tell Depth Charge was deeply embarrassed.


	12. Chapter 12

**-Look at chapter 11 for disclaimer. =P**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Nature Walk (Cutting Edge)**

"Why must I get up" I groaned as I swung my legs over the edge of my bed. _Oh yeah, cuz' I still want to get home…if it's possible…do I even want to go back…_ it's been around four weeks since the incident with Sentinel. And surely enough, I received a lot of shit on it primarily from Dinobot (who's a strategy buff), Rattrap (because he's Rattrap), and (surprise-surprise) Optimus. However, the ape was more subtle, as he would only give me glances and I'm sure he made my assignments easier.

I clipped on my utility belt and slipped on my boots –which had a memory fit feature. After I secured my blaster and a few other items to my belt, I then stepped out of my room-

"Eep!" only to have two small bipeds almost topple me, _kids…oh wait!_ the early anthropoid children completely ignored me as they continued to run down the hallway, _Chak and Oona!_

"Hey you guys-!" Cheetor rushed by me –and almost toppled me too as he chased the two munchkins laughing "Wait up!"

I decided to join the game of tag as I chased down Cheetor. After I sprinted down a few hallways, I heard a clanging noise, a sure sign that a metal container had been dropped. _Oh no, apply the brakes!_ I came to a dead stop as I rounded the corner, almost running face-first into Cheetor.

"Whoa-hey!" I could see another, smaller form pinned between Cheetor's arms. As I slipped past, I had to bite back a laugh "Uhhh, hi" and bite even harder at the cat's face as he awkwardly greeted Blackarachnia. _I always thought BA and Silverbolt were cute, but I'm having second thoughts_

" _Ugh_ , what is this, a military base or a daycare center for under-evolved bipeds?"

"Why not be both?" I gave a cheeky grin, I was ignored.

"Sorry they're just here until we can…-" I was very certain green optics trailed down a little further than they were supposed to (know what I mean) "…find…-"

"Their tribe?" apparently he forgot I was there, the cat jumped to attention. _But_ still had Blackarachnia pinned, either because he really liked the proximity-

"Let go of me" or maybe he just forgot she was there too since she had to shove him.

"Come on, we got rug-rats to supervise" I tugged on Cheetor's arm. And when he didn't budge, I just jogged on without him to the command center, _hehehe Cheetor's got a new crush and it's not me…_ I grinned, _finally_.

* * *

It took a little while for everybody (except DC) to gather around the strategy hub, a clear sign that no one was too keen on baby-sitting. Except for maybe Cheetor and myself, the kids absolutely loved playing with us –but even more so with the center's equipment. As the children continued to play, Optimus walked in ready to plan the best course of action and who would be a part of it "Someone needs to escort the children back to their tribe…" the massive transmetal ape sauntered toward the table "Blackarachnia?"

 _I was going to volunteer…_

"Me-?!"

… _but I know where this goes_

"-give the job to someone who can fly"

Rhinox hummed, ready to argue BA's (rudely put) suggestion "Our scanners don't register organics properly. Not much chance of locating the tribe from the air"

"The children will have to lead the way, on foot" Oona waddled up to Optimus with arms outstretched, a clear gesture that she wanted to play.

"Oh, make my day, a _nature walk_?"

"A dangerous one, but necessary-" _awwww she's swinging on his finger- focus!_ "-the cyber-raptors are Megatron's handiwork, and you know Megatron better than anyone"

"Yeeeah, little miss eight-legged lieutenant-"

"Rattrap be quiet"

" _Terrific_ , me and the junior forest rangers"

I swallowed a chuckle as I saw Chak stop spinning in one of the chairs, the kid's eyes glazed over with dizziness.

"I'll accompany her" Silverbolt stepped up beside me and Trailblazer.

"Negative, you've sustained damage. And besides, I want Blackarachnia's full attention on the task at hand"

"I'll go with her!" Cheetor eagerly volunteered, oblivious to Silverbolts' glare –which I couldn't quite see, but I assumed it was hostile. And the snicker from Trailblazer confirmed it.

"Agreed…any more volunteers?"

It was decided. We all stayed quiet (even Rattrap), curious to see just how BA and the kid would fare as baby-sitters. I felt a clawed hand on my shoulder as BA and an especially bushy-tailed Cheetor left the room with the children, "I'm surprised you didn't volunteer considering your apparent bond with those protohumans" Dinobot looked at me with a raised optic ridge.

"I'm both curious and nervous to see what she does…" I glanced over to Rattrap, who gave me a nod, and then to Trailblazer who just shrugged.

OP cleared his throat "The rest of us will stay here then. We still have plenty of work to do regarding the defense systems" and so with that instruction, that's what we did. Optimus wandered off to handle a few errands while Silverbolt rested in the CR chamber. Trailblazer and Dinobot stood over the strategy hub discussing sentry-gun upgrades, while the rest of us watched the monitor.

* * *

"Is it me or is our boy looking particularly bushy-tailed today?" Rhinoxs' red optics squinted.

"You noticed that too huh?"

I heard Trailblazer snigger, but then was promptly told to focus by Dinobot. He responded with a low growl.

"Nyeeea, it's the web lady I'm wonderin' about. Call me paranoid, but I don't trust Preds, I don't trust spiders, and I don't trust dames that sneak in and out of classified areas when they think no one's watchin'" Rattrap eyed the spider-woman with skepticism.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that our little spider _chum_ …-" everyone's attention snapped onto a hissing noise. Silverbolt stood before the CR chamber, _glaring_ at Rattrap.

"…is a credit to her web-spinning species and I don't know what we'd do without 'er" Silverbolt continued to glare at Rattrap as the rat casually spun in his chair to face the monitor. I heard Dinobot snarl, clearly displeased with Rattrap's (still) apparent lack of trust for the other ex-Pred, and although the raptor was not too fond of the black widow, he at least respected her –to a degree. Trailblazer huffed as he continued to eye sentry-gun schematics, and waited for Silverbolt to the leave the premises to comment "real subtle"

I face-palmed.

* * *

Later on I got bored and decided to join the two guys to assist in weapon customization and location, with Rhinoxs' permission of course –he was the guy to ask if Optimus wasn't around and it was convenient that he was still working studiously away at the computer. While I was contently experimenting with different sentry configurations (with Trailblazers' help) I heard a frequency patch through: "Rhinox here, what have you found Depth Charge?" we could barely hear DC's gruff voice "What?! I will send a team to assist you immediately"

Grumble. Grumble. It was especially hard to hear his words when the manta was grumbling. However, me and Trailblazer shared an interested glance when we were both sure we heard _'strange pod_ '.

"No. I _insist_ " Rhinox shook his head and ended the transmission. Rattrap, who was working on a random computer, poked his head up "Did I hear what I thought I just heard?"

"A pod?" I asked. _That's not canon, just like Trailblazer..._

"That's what you three will find out"

"Yahoo! I was getting sick of-"

"I'm sure you are not included rodent" Dinobot shot an amused glance as Rattrap started to count slowly. The rat looked over toward our large green friend.

"And by three you meant…"

Rhinox nodded and smirked, his red optics shifted over to us "Trailblazer, Dinobot, Cassandra? You three will group up with Depth Charge, whatever's in the pod might be hostile"

"Or whoever…" I walked over and patted Rattrap, "Sorry, you always get stuck with all the work don't you?"

"…yeah no kiddin', before ya know it bird-dog and the boss monkey are gonna go for a picnic too" the second smallest member of the Maximal team crossed his arms and shuffled morosely back over to his project.

"Ready?" Trailblazers' horse head prodded my shoulder. "Yep" with a quick wave to Rhinox and a sulking Rattrap, I mounted Trailblazer's beast mode and we cantered off to catch up to Dinobot, who we found was already at the blast doors.

* * *

It would have been a nice little trek if my two big comrades weren't so quiet. I didn't like it. Didn't like it one bit. _Come on Trailblazer, you can't stay angry at him forever…say, he never did explain why he was so angry with him!_ I sighed and breathed in the scent of the forest we were trudging through. The scent brought the vague recollection of where I used to live, _reminds me of home sweet home_ I mused as my eyes scanned for any Predacon movement. I mulled over the likelihood of me seeing my family again, my mind eventually shut out any noise.

Until that noise got too loud that is: "Hey you okay sis?" Trailblazer's head tilted to the left, his cobalt eye looked directly at me. _Okay…I am okay; of course I'm…-wait I'm not!_ I figured it was a really good opportunity to ask some obligatory questions.

"No" I stated dryly, sounding like a child.

Dinobots' ice blue raptor eyes glanced over "You appear fine to me"

 _Really?_ My left eye twitched "On the outside…in the inside…"

"You're not" Trailblazer snorted "…we should know why, shouldn't we?"

 _Thank Primus, I might not need to spell it out!_

"If your emotional state somehow jeopardizes this mission…it's best to negate it now-" the Utah-raptor snarled "speak girl"

"What happened between the two of you?!" my volume caught both the transmetal horse and pre-transmetal raptor off guard "I've tried asking what exactly happened on that day the Axalon was pulled into the sea! But I'd only get vague answers or get ignored completely!" so I quieted down a little, "So please talk it out, stop this nonsense".

"I may have been the catalyst for your equine friend's foul demeanor…" Dinobot growled "…I was the one who disagreed with Optimus' decision to retrieve you so early, especially when retrieving the remaining portion of the Axalon seemed like the top priority-"

"Top priority my shiny metal _ass_ , we could have had that spider-lady construct a sub-aquatic vessel right away, like what she made when we needed to get Sentinel-"

I winced.

"-something like that could have been built in a few hours! But no, you and everyone else just settled with sending small rescue teams-"

"You agreed-"

"Well of course I agreed! I got sick of all the stupid squabbling! Hell, I was ready to track down Rampage for Primus's sake-" _I knew it_ "-to get her myself! Especially when all you guys gave up at the last minute! By the way, she turned up at just that time!" Trailblazer blew air agitatedly; sad blue optics peered over at me "…that's why I've been so sour toward FossilFace"

I frowned, then smiled "That's all I needed to know" I looked over to Dinobot, who was focused on our path ahead, but looked a little upset "…and I understand why you and the others did what you did, this is, after all, war. Expending resources to recover a single soldier could very well mean the end"

There was a low, thoughtful snarl "Are we on better terms now?" as the raptor moved his focus onto Trailblazer. The horse snorted.

"Sort of…"

"I'll assume that is a 'yes'" icy-blue eyes rolled.

"Hey Cassie…-" _hmmm…?_ "I know you probably hear this asked _everyday_ by _everybody_ over and over but-"

"You're going to ask why Rampage left me be aren't you?"

"Yeah…It's not like I don't trust you, but honestly that little story of yours is too far-fetched. So I must ask; what _really_ happened?" Trailblazers' voice grew a little quieter, whereas Dinobot gave me an expectant look.

"I don't know, the truth is just as weird" I patted Trailblazer, whom of which looked at me quizzically "Rampage prevented me from being rescued, and to be quite frank I thought he was going to kill me, which he didn't"

"We already know that..." they both muttered in unison.

"Right, sorry, after that I passed out, when I woke up I saw that he brought me to a cave-" _don't include Transmutate_ "I didn't stay long, especially when he destroyed my radio"

"Explains why we weren't able to reach you-" Trailblazer said in an irritated tone, and his canter came to a stop immediately once he caught a whiff of smoke. Actually, we _all_ caught a whiff. I heard Trailblazers' comm. unit crackle:

:"You guys close?": DC asked urgently.

"We smell smoke-"

:"You're close then. Follow my signal": _he does know smoke can…-_ a bright gold disc sliced through the sky probably a mile or two away, _oh, nevermind I guess we're close enough,_ :"Hurry, this things acting weird":

* * *

I held on for dear life as Trailblazer tore through the forest, Dinobot close behind. The ride was a thrilling one, also dangerous because of how low some branches were and how packed in the trees were in a few areas. I kept my head down, really not wanting to damage -or lose- it. It didn't take us long to reach the area where the pod first contacted land, the trail stretched for a lengthy distance and there were a few fires here and there. We traveled along the side; both bots being careful not to slice their legs open on any debris as we approached the site of the alien pod.

"Over here!" we saw Depth Charge wave us over, his large frame kneeled down next to something small and oval shaped. Those five words _'Hurry, this things acting weird'_ echoed off the walls of my mind, _I wonder_. Trailblazer whinnied and trotted up to get a closer look, clueless as to what exactly he was looking at.

Weren't we all.

I slid off his beast mode so he could go into bot mode; I jogged over to do a thorough examination. And in doing so I seemed to ' _excite_ ' the pod-

"Wait, don't!"

And scare DC. Fortunately, nothing happened, nothing _bad_ to be precise. The pod emitted beeps and hums, and once those got nice and shrill (neither of us dared to move) it chirped. The pod's hatch opened with a hiss, and inside were two items, two items that appeared to be... _delicious_. My eyes went wide and my stomach growled, oh, I may have neglected to mention I didn't eat anything that morning.

"You really are crazy" DC kneeled down beside me, a small hint of relief in his optics. "The pod only started to react once you guys got within what? Two miles?"

"You foolish girl!" was my only warning before Dinobot yanked me away. Ah yes, his timing was impeccable, getting me away from the 'dangerous' pod _after_ it opened. I held my tongue to stop myself from saying anything smart.

"Uhhhm…" Trailblazer leaned in to look into the pod and then grasped the two objects. With careful handling, he set them on the ground. "Hey Cass, looks like there're messages on them"

"From those blasted aliens no doubt!" Dinobot was about to stomp on my breakfast. I did not allow it. I swooped in like a hawk and saved the two gifts from under Dinobot's nose. The raptor spun around, flabbergasted. I returned his glare.

"These aliens can't be so bad can they?" I asked innocently. I knew very well what the Vok had done, but hey, I was very hungry.

"You can't be serious"

"What aliens?"

Trailblazer pulled DC to the side and began a lengthy explanation (he reiterated what he had heard from Rhinox when he first asked) about the Vok. Whilst me and Dinobot began to argue, the raptor's optics remained trained on the 'gifts' with complete and utter distaste.

"Stop being a child and hand them over"

"No" I read the messages while I kept one wary eye on Dinobot. First, was the small cake adorned with Vok symbols:

 _Eat me?_ I snorted, _hehehe, bastards have a sense of humor…or maybe they've read Alice in Wonderland?_

I then read the message attached to the small vial. _Drink me –yup, they must have an inter-dimensional library or something, wait…were these…_ Dinobot advanced ever so slowly toward me, and I merely took quick steps back while I gave him the stink-eye. _Could the Vok have something to do with bringing me here? Is that why they sent the pod here? Could it be some kind of care package meant for me?! Maybe…no, it has to be, they had to know I'm the only one who would understand such a reference!_ Dinobot snarled and went with a more aggressive approach. That being charging me, and it would have worked, he would have got what he wanted…too bad I already had popped the cake into my mouth. Red optics widened with a distraught expression. To be honest, I did feel bad; the raptor-former was as protective of me as all the other Maximals. He only wanted to warn me and neutralize the threat. Sadly though, when I was hungry, I would become an inconsiderate ass in my desperate need for food. And because I was very curious as what the effects of Vok-made food would be.

The answer: nothing. _I'm probably a new level of moronic for doing this, but…it tastes like strawberries!_

"The Pit happened?!" Trailblazer noticed Dinobots' expression, and so did DC.

"She…ate it"

I drank the contents of the vial with a deliberate slowness. I got stares of disbelief. "If it were poison or any other bio-weapon don't you think there'd be more of it? And in a more threatening vessel?"

"Cassie"

Dinobot face-palmed "Idiot"

Depth Charge chuckled "She seems fine to me, do the aliens know she's in this war too?"

"As of now apparently" I shrugged "You said the pod started to react once we got close…have you considered that maybe I was the target?"

"If you knew **that** why **the Pit** did you still consume that wretched junk?!" if Cybertronians could've popped a blood vessel, Dinobot would have in that moment.

"Maybe the Vok like her for not being a Maximal, kind of a species bias deal" Trailblazer speculated-

"Looks that way, from what HorseBoy told me _you_ guys ruined their project…" and DC joined in. "…hey, maybe they're rewarding her?"

 _Or killing me off…I do feel a little light headed…_ I wanted to offer some input, to set aside my growing unease. However, as the three guys began arguing/joking amongst themselves, my light-headedness escalated and I found myself passing out.

* * *

When I woke, two pairs of red optics and one pair of blue were over me, _oh don't tell me…_

"I passed out"

"Warned you" Dinobot jeered. On the inside though, I was very sure he was relieved I hadn't died. A rustling noise was my only warning before I found myself being picked up and then squeezed. It took me a moment to realize I was in one of Trailblazer's 'super-hugs'.

"Those were the scariest three minutes of my life!" Trailblazer gently smacked the back of my head "Ass-hat"

I blushed. "Three minutes huh?" I took note that we were all still in the forest "So I don't have polka dot skin or wings do I?"

There were sniggers all around. "No" Trailblazer set me down on my feet. We heard a cough and both of us looked at a very amused Depth Charge and Dinobot, "If you two are done with your spark-warming reunion, I believe we should head back to base, perhaps so Cassandra can go through a legitimate scanning?" the raptor being the one to be the voice of reason. DC snorted.

"For her head or body?"

I grinned and leaped onto the manta's leg. And I started to gnaw on him, and because he didn't want to hurt me…he had to let it happen. The big bad ex-Marshal of Omicron simply muttered and covered his face with his hand, not at all used to dealing with (anymore) embarrassing situations. Luckily for him, I stopped once I was satisfied with his reaction. I turned around to find Trailblazer rolling on the ground and Dinobot mirroring DC. After I soaked in the moment, I pulled out my radio.

"I report mission success" I reported to Rhinox "Cassandra to Rhinox do you copy-?". I gaped once I heard what sounded like explosions and gunfire. _Dear Primus I almost forgot! I really am an ass-hat!_

:"I copy, you-": there was some grunting as machine gun fire ripped through the other end :"called at a very bad time. Requesting back-up…": there was some more grunting :"did you locate the pod?!":

"Yes sir, it carried a couple of harmless Vok tokens-"

"That you ate!" Trailblazer yelled. _Jerk…_

:"We'll, discuss this later": I judged by his tone that the rhino was irate. Oh boy.

"We're on our way, hang in there!" I turned off the radio, my worried gaze quickly set on DC "Sounds like our base is under attack-"

"On it-" he transformed "Get on!"

"All three of us?" Dinobot sounded unsure, because both him and Trailblazer were fairly big fellows. But Trailblazer didn't argue as he picked me up with an arm and jumped onto DC's flight mode.

"You're more than welcome to walk FossilFace-"

Dinobot proved he didn't want to do such an inane thing as he ran and also jumped on. As we ascended at a comfortable speed, Depth Charge decided to give us a last second warning "By the way, you might want to hold on-"

"Gah!" before we all had to grip onto our aqua-bat friend as he had his jets reach maximum burn in a ludicrously short time.

* * *

Once we returned to our base we had no trouble fighting off Megatron and the remaining Predacons mainly because we outnumbered them and dealing with large Preds was DC's specialty. When the area was clear, me and Trailblazer went to go see Rhinox. And thus, I prepared myself for the lecture from hell.


	13. Chapter 13

**-Look at chapter 11 for disclaimer.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Surprises**

The lecture wasn't at all as bad as I had presumed it would be at first. Before Rhinox actually scanned me that is. And in that case, Optimus joined and I seriously had felt an overwhelming sense of regret. As expected, Dinobot stood on the sidelines with a smug 'I told you so' look…although an 'I told you so' just wasn't enough in my case. No, I wasn't dying, but my anatomy altered greatly. All my internals were same in structure, but their composition seemed changed, apparently going from fully organic to (seamlessly) techno-organic –as Rhinox has called it, the fusion was too subtle to make me a cyborg. My skin was no exception either, although it still appeared to be my normal pale, it was no longer as thin as it had been, and was no longer regular skin. While the alien nanites took on my natural skin tone on top, they took on a more metallic grey color a layer or two underneath. The most drastic difference was my bone make up; the scans had shown that they were of the same alloy, but more resilient and dense, and seemingly darker in color. And if that wasn't a tip-off, my spine/shoulder blades sure were –an external mutation was present, no I did not have wings or anything of the sort, it's just that whatever my bones were made up of could be clearly seen if I took off my tank-top, exposing the dark metallic grey that was my bone composition. It amazed me what alien bio-engineered cakes and drinks could do, that and my curious nature which had a tendency to get me into trouble.

Rhinox was going to run me through a physical **but** before we could even do that, we needed to help clean up our base first. The blast doors had needed the most care since Rampage nearly destroyed them by ramming into them not once. Not twice. But _three_ times, and it had also been reported that the transmetal crab ran over them a few more times for good measure.

A small smile stretched across as my hands fidgeted with a stress ball. Something I would find myself doing often since it helped send me into a focus-induced train of thought. Ah yes, I really missed my family and home. With that thought, I had selfishly wished that maybe (just maybe) my close relatives would join me, however I also hoped the Vok wouldn't scare them too much. _Even if they are cold logic-based scientists, they had to have some pity to yank me from my old universe…_

As I continued to reminisce, my eyes locked onto the stress ball and nothing else, and because of that I failed to notice a curious feline as he peeked over my shoulder "Hey!"

"EEEP!" I found my rear end leaving the chair for a wholesome second. I growled and snapped my focus onto Cheetor, whom was blissfully unaware of all my initial murderous intentions –provided if it were Rattrap or Trailblazer.

"Oh sorry! You looked upset and I wanted to cheer you up!"

 _He may not know it, but he was seconds from death,_ I shook my head and grasped my chest "By scaring me to death?"

"…no…" he down-casted his optics, sheepish as can be.

I rolled my eyes and smiled "Relax Che, it worked"

"Huh?"

"Memory lane was getting depressing, it's a good thing you snapped me out of it"

"Oh well uh –you're welcome-"

"Hey kids!"

We both jumped and spun around to see a red transmetal horse smiling at us warmly. I fumbled the stress ball around like an idiot, doing everything in my power to think of a proper greeting.

"Hiya Blaze" I greeted half-heartedly.

"Gee you sound down in the slag-heap"

 _Curses!_ "I was just evaluating my life choices…" I rubbed my eyes "eating that cake and drinking from that vial being two of 'em"

"Well you're still with us aren't ya?!" Trailblazer reverted to bot form and pulled me into a hug "That's all that matters!"

"I honestly believed that lecture killed me and I was left to deal with you and Cheetor for eternity-"

"Not nice!"

Me and Trailblazer chuckled at Cheetors' puffed chestplate. That kid was just too cute.

"Whelp, sorry to break this to you Shortie but you're still very much alive and in the Beast Wars"

 _Thank Primus,_ I snorted to cover up my inner relief "No kidding, aside from OP and Rhinox I'm one of the reasons your sorry butts are not mounted on Megatrons' wall"

"He'd really do that?!" I reminded myself that Cheetor hadn't gone anywhere. I smiled sweetly.

"Yesss" and did my best Megatron impersonation. In response, Trailblazer doubled over in laughter. I swear to Primus the guy found humor in everything, or maybe I was just that funny? To confirm, I earned soft laughs from anyone who had been listening in.

"He'd prefer to mount our heads…" such as Dinobot "however; I wouldn't put it past him to also mount our, _posteriors_ "

"You're not here to give me a reprimand are you?" _because you stayed awfully quiet while Optimus and Rhinox did_

Red optics glinted in mock innocence "Not now, I will merely wait until we're both in the afterlife…" as the raptor leaned and grinned evilly "so I can reprimand you for _eternity_ ". I visibly shrunk as Trailblazer fell to the floor laughing his shiny transmetal butt off. Cheetors' green optics broadened something fierce.

"That's harsh" the cat walked over and hugged me "Stay strong Cass" and I returned the embrace.

"' _Til All Are One'_ , Che… _'Til All Are One'_ ". Trailblazer's howling laughter escalated, the noise not really bothering anyone since they were doing their best to contain themselves too. Optimus was the first to regain his composure as he sauntered on over to us.

"How are you feeling?" Optimus asked politely.

"Like I have been run over by a Peterbilt…" I rubbed my temples "from an emotional standpoint. Physically I'm in good condition"

"Would you like to rest?"

"No, are there any tasks that need to be done?"

Enter Rhinox urgently notifying Optimus "Optimus, we have an emergency"

We exchanged worried glances amongst ourselves.

"Megatron?"

"No, the reading detected by the long-range scanners is not Predacon. Optimus…it's _alien_ "

"On such short notice?" Optimus didn't sound too thrilled "Alright…". The massive ape-former turned to us "Looks like I already have a team assembled, if they are ready?"

For those of us who were standing (i.e. not Trailblazer) we straightened our postures and saluted.

* * *

The briefing was a quick one. Rhinox already had the crashed alien ship's coordinates displayed on the hub. And Optimus had made the point cut and clear; get in, have a look-see, get out…any hostiles we were permitted to eliminate.

"Wow these aliens must be gluttons for punishment-" Trailblazer cracked his neck "Not that I'm complaining…how about you Cass?"

"I won't complain, if there's more cake"

Dinobot snarled "At the rate your going, we'll simply _hand you over_ to the aliens"

Everyone seemed ready to inflict some hurt. Not me, I made it my personal mission to capture a Vok and get some answers, so I maintained a neutral attitude whilst I started to argue with Dinobot. Optimus smiled as he observed our bickering. He waited for a full minute before he got our attention "Is everyone ready?"

We nodded in unison.

* * *

 _Out of all the places the strange alien ship needed to crash-land…_ I hugged my coat tighter _…it had to be someplace cold_ and pulled my hood over my head. I wasn't complaining -not out loud anyway- the two layers were not enough to protect me from the intense chill from on top of a snow-capped mountain. _It could be worse…_ my eyes examined every inch of the peak we were on while my palms were attempting warmth through friction.

"It should be…" I heard Dinobot mumble beside me, "just…down…" a faint beeping (the tracker) grew louder and more frequent as Trailblazer cautiously shimmied -in beast mode- down toward our destination.

:"Any luck?!": Cheetors' voice boomed through my radio, startling all three of us.

"Yell any louder-" Trailblazer grit his teeth "and you'll cause an avalanche"

:"…so…no then?":

"We're closing in on our target"

I spotted an enormous bulge covered with snow and earth, the typical debris from a crash-landing. I grinned, _talk about being so close to something it'll bite ya!_ "Trailblazer-!" I pointed my index finger like a small child "big ship thingy-me-bob over there!". Coming to a dead stop, which gave him and the raptor time to follow the direction I happily gestured toward, Trailblazer then trotted up to the buried Vok ship.

"The Pit…?" he motioned for me to get off, and I did, careful not to fall in the snow in my excitement. _Oooooo so mysterious –no, none of that cat curiosity are you trying to get yourself killed?!_ I stayed my distance considering how closely Dinobot watched me; the raptor appeared more like a mother-hen than a vicious prehistoric hunter. It was a good call, because there was an intense humming emanating from it.

"Wise move…" Dinobot patted my shoulder and showed me the scanner "Primus knows what's in there"

I squinted _oh my GOODness_ "That is-" I gasped loudly as my peripheries caught sight of a big horse Maximal cautiously tip-toe and then bury his hand in the snow "-Trailblazer!"

Nothing happened.

Insert nose twitch. "What" I did another nose twitch as Trailblazer resumed his examination in a nonchalant manner. As we were trying to process just **why** Trailblazer hadn't triggered any defense systems, the familiar roar of jets closed in and landed gracefully next to our stunned forms.

"Oh neat! Is that it?"

We continued to stare as Trailblazer then gripped something "Sure. Hey, think I found an airlock-". His cobalt optics narrowed mischievously on us, but immediately disappeared as they locked onto some _one_ else.

"My, who do we have here?"

I didn't turn around, instead, I went as still as the mountain I stood on. Dinobot exploited my stillness and tossed me to Trailblazer, whom caught me gently and placed me behind his protective stance.

"Oooohooo! Waaazzspiiinator want to be in party too!"

I spun around to face three figures standing smugly on higher ground; and they all had their weapons trained on us.

"It ain't a party till we got some Preds to shoot BugEyes-!" and with a speed I didn't know he possessed, Cheetor merged the two halves of his cat's maw and shot Waspinator **right** on the **lugnuts** (whether that was his intention or not I never found out), _wow, that's gonna hurt for weeks_. All hell broke loose as the other two Predacons –Rampage and Inferno (two of the bigger Predacons, eff my life right?) began firing. Trailblazer easily dodged one of the crab's rockets whereas me and Cheetor needed to dive for cover as Inferno roasted where we were standing moments before.

"Didn't Megatron want you-"

"Don't dwell on it" I peeked out to see Trailblazer and Dinobot taking on our remaining opponents, whilst Waspinator still pitifully rolled in the snow, but slowly and surely recovered.

Easy pickin's.

"Hey Che, feel like helping me with something?"

"Sure…what do you have in mind?" he mirrored my grin.

"You'll see, just follow my lead" I sprinted toward Waspinator while Cheetor kept Inferno off my back. Since it was a somewhat close-quarters battlefield, everyone's optics immediately shot over toward us with an inquisitive/panicked look that screamed _'whatever they're up to it ain't good'_. The only bot unaware of our advances being our target, and so Waspinator's only warning before I tackled him was my overly ridiculous battle cry. With some struggle in his attempt to get away, the wasp Predacon transformed. Not that that did any good, he was in my clutches, no matter how hard he tried to buck me off of him.

"Bad female flezzshy-bot bad!" buck, swerve "You too heavy!"

 _Oh really?!_ "You did not just call me fat!" I know he didn't, though intimidation was the key to control in my case. I pulled out my blaster and pointed it at his head.

"Don't shoot Wasszzzpinator! Wasszzzpinator did not mean to call female flesszzhy-bot fat!"

 _So he did –oh hell no!_ I yanked on one of his antennae, earning a pitiful whine. "You deserved it! Now quit whinin' and fly straight!"

As the wasp took it easy on the dangerous maneuvers, I could clearly see that we had a spectator. With the thought that he was probably safe (enough), Cheetor dropped his guard and gave me a thumbs up "yeeahaha Cassie you showed him-!" only to be blasted in the back by Rampage –even if the crab was in a beat down with Trailblazer, he still found the time to take advantage of the cat's distracted state. As the two continued to duke it out, Inferno rushed over toward Cheetor and I cursed softly as the maniacal pyro-Predacon aimed his flamethrower at a stasis-locked Cheetor. I cursed a little louder to see that Trailblazer was in quite the pickle himself.

"You'll regret that you crustaceous cretin!" Trailblazer landed a few punches, but was quickly kicked aside…

"Ohhhoho like I'll _regret this_? Pffttt hahaha-!" and quickly recovered with a bad-ass somersault to dodge Rampages' stomp. _I want to intervene but Cheetor…?_ I glanced over to Dinobot, who looked just as conflicted. With a moment of silent agreement, Dinobot ran to engage Inferno (who had been his opponent at the beginning of the fight). I breathed in deeply.

"Oh, to hell with it" I gripped both Waspinator's antennae and yanked in the direction Rampage and Trailblazer were fighting. As I watched the two large red bots beat the slag out of each other, I found myself both awed and nervous, _is he_ ** _really_** _trying to kill the immortal with his bare hands?_ I winced as Trailblazer got close enough to choke Rampage for a whole few seconds. The crab merely laughed/coughed at the infuriated equine's efforts as he pried him loose from his throat.

"Did you _really_ just try to choke me to _death_?!" those same laughs escalated into guffaws "I could learn to like you…!" as he pulled out his three-barreled rocket launcher " _If_ I let you live that is-!"

"Incoming!" I jumped off of Waspinator just as the wasp crashed into a bewildered Rampage. I was relieved I had prevented Trailblazer from getting a face full of rocket, the horse Maximal had really grown on me like a real big brother. That and I somehow didn't want a personal reason to hate Rampage. As sappy as that sounds -because well, the guy kind of killed an non-quantifiable amount of people in his supposed backstory- it was my mindset.

That's my way of saying I had a wee crush on Rampage. And that seemed alright, because I was a part of the Beast Wars universe. _By the Matrix…what is wrong with me?_

"Cassie! The hell?! Get back!" Trailblazer pushed me behind him as Rampage recovered from his little 'run-in' with Waspy. With a huff, CrabbyCakes kicked his comrade to the side in favor of aiming his weapon back at Trailblazer. We all stood there awkwardly, up until the point where Rampage had an epiphany. My jaw dropped as he whirled around to fire at Dinobot –who looked very much occupied with a cackling Inferno. Whether it was because of my enhancements or because Rampage was savoring the moment, I was able to _push_ away Rampage's weapon from its intended target as the crab snapped his optics over to me –unfortunately, I didn't distract the crab's trigger finger as he fired the rocket that was meant for Dinobot, the explosive projectile instead making a beeline for the side of the mountain _we were on_.

With a series of sickening crunches, massive portions of snow began to cascade down the slope. _Oh an avalanche that's just dandy!_ I hopped onto Trailblazer as soon as he entered beast-mode. With a nod directed at Dinobot, the ex-Predacon gathered Cheetor in his arms (while shooting Inferno with his optical lasers) and transformed into his beast mode where he then made a mad dash down the mountain alongside us. Was it fun? Loads. Was it scary? Very much so!

"Hang on!"

 _I'll try!_ I wrapped my arms around HorseBoys' neck as I stared wide-eyed at the swiftly approaching frozen doom. _Hey we just might –wait what is that?_ My eyes narrowed at the sight of a red speck that quickly became not-so speck sized. I gasped loudly as a crazed, _airborne_ , Inferno dive-bombed us "For the **Royaaallltyyy**!" and sent me and Trailblazer rolling down the mountain (I thanked my lucky stars I hadn't somehow got underneath the horse Maximal). What made things even worse? The little bugger flew off _cackling_. I was pretty sure he talked some last second slag while he was at it, but I was too busy getting battered and bruised as I fought for control. I tried to anyway; gravity was not on my side. I groaned and clutched my side as I looked for some higher ground to beat the avalanche. There were ridges on both sides.

"Cass-!" my head whipped around to see Trailblazer as he limped toward me "Don't worry, I'll get ya outta here Girlie"

 _Why am I seeing two red bots-_ I squinted _wait that other one is too big to be Trailblazer!_ The roar of the avalanche was near deafening, my eyes grew as wide and round as saucers _ooohhhh shiiit Igottarun!_ And so I hobbled away from Rampage as fast as I could in favor of reaching Trailblazer, which wasn't very fast. I was huffing and puffing and-

My eyes grew wider as I coughed, _is that my…blood?!_ Apparently I had underestimated the power of Physics that day. I groaned and gripped my other side, _well this is it…I'm gonna die and get buried at the same time-EEP!_ That pain doubled as someone (who wasn't Trailblazer) gripped either side of me and tossed me into the air. And it wasn't like I landed on soft pillows on landing either, nope; instead it was a nice cool, hard shell. Dazed, I looked up to see my two (blurry) comrades safely crouched/passed out on top of elevated land. The last one, Trailblazer, I couldn't find anywhere. I frowned and looked for any sign of the soldier while I and my rescuer literally had death on our asses. _I wonder just how many times he's gonna save me before he decides to just kill me…_ I rolled onto my belly, tempted to ask how Rampage was able to outrun an avalanche in tank mode, but didn't because it was impossible for any kind of verbal communication with the deafening roars and I could clearly see that we were losing the race. With no warning, I found myself ejected into the air, not-so-gently caught, and then squished between a red arm and crustaceous/metallic torso as Rampage landed, tucked, and rolled. I heard the rush of the avalanche's contents swirl all around us before coming to a quiet rumble as a loud crunching noise humbled it.

* * *

Once we were in somewhere dark and significantly warmer, I was deposited gently on the ground in a lax manner. A too lax manner, it was almost unnerving.

"Rampage?" _oh boy, the guilt trains pulling in!_ I got no answer. No worded answer anyway. I instead heard moans of pain. My eyes followed the moans and found the source's dimmed green optics. _What in –oh dear God!_ I suppressed a scream as I saw just why Rampage was in so much pain. A massive pointed spike pinned him to the floor, a chunk from the mountain I could only surmise, and had almost severed him. I grasped his arm and joggled it, hoping for any response. And I got one. I couldn't hear it at first because it sounded like more guttural groans.

"What…?"

More garbled noises.

"Please speak up"

"Do you delight in being a damsel in distress?"

 _Finally!_ I grunted, being in rough shape myself "No-" grunt "-not-" cough "-really, do you…" I winced as I gently prodded a rib "Do you delight in saving me?" feeling especially brave. Green optics regarded me.

"Not really, I find it quite tiresome"

I rubbed my temples "Then why…" I held my tongue, unsure whether to continue "then why do you insist on saving me? Why do you consider me a friend…" I trailed off as his arm snaked close to me "…I uhm, of course I'm grateful for the many times you'vesavedmeIreallyam-eep!" and then swiftly grabbed my collar. Rampage brought me very close to his face.

"Do you have a problem with it?" he inquired in a polite tone.

 _Eheheheeee wow,_ I was very certain he was going to hurt me. "No, I really don't, I like being your friend, and Transmutate's too! Which reminds me; how is she?"

He looked satisfied, "Why she's in good health" and so he released me. "…and if you must really know; I'm not keeping you alive for the sole reason of Transmutate liking you" Rampage grunted as he adjusted for comfort. Or whatever could pass as comfortable from where he was. "Perhaps I keep you around because you're good company"

 _Buffering…_ my mind contemplated those words to the best of its ability. I could only stare. "Oh" and that was the only thing I could muster. I got a snort in response.

"I know, so simple isn't it? You were probably under the impression I was a complex creature"

"To be brutally honest, I was"

"Brutal honesty is good, excellent even! Talking things out in such a civilized manner like _true_ friends. And speaking of friends, why don't you be a dear and help me out of here hmmmm?" Rampage wriggled like a worm. I figured he'd eventually get to that point. Problem was; I really couldn't help him.

"Rampage…" I eyed the chunk that impaled him "I would gladly help you but…I think whatever's keeping you trapped is keeping me alive"

"I thought-!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" I frowned and raised my palms "that piece of avalanche debris acts like a plug, if it were to be destroyed, everything above where we are will come pouring in…you'll be fine, but I won't…". I sighed "Can't blame a girl for having some sense of having self-preservation can you?"

"I guess not…say, I never knew you were capable of such critical thinking!"

"Now you're just being a shmuck"

Emerald optics twinkled "Don't be discouraged, I'm actually rooting for you!"

"Because you want to be free"

"Precisely, two minds are better than one" he pulled, released a sharp pained grunt, and then flopped back on the ground. "Cassandra"

"Yesss?" I smiled wryly. Rampage groaned.

" _None_ of that, I hear plenty of it back at the Darksyde"

I sniggered. "Sorry…what were going to ask?"

"You're not squeamish are you?"

"Are you suggesting-"

"Yes" he said tersely. A clear indication he was getting impatient. I gulped and pulled out my energon knife from my utility belt.

"In the time it takes me to slice through you, won't you heal?" yes, I was skeptical of the idea before he even suggested it.

"Cut fast then"

The blade trembled in my hand. _I can't –well I can, I just don't want to!_ I nervously crawled on my hands and knees toward Rampage's waist. I hesitated.

"It's okay if you don't want to cut me free; I'm quite comfortable where I am"

My right eye twitched "I can do without the sardonic attitude"

"Oh can you really-"

Whatever was going to come after was lost on me as my attention snapped onto something else. A red, pulsing, alien-manufactured something else, something I missed while trying to help Rampage. The crab Predacon also looked over to my object of interest. Difference was, he didn't share my level of intrigue. In other words, he did **not** give a rat's ass what it was. I felt a hand tug on my coat.

"Ah yes, rather pretty isn't it, plenty of time to stare at it _after_ you help me"

 _With a dinky energon knife?! I don't think so!_ "For Primus' sake, it's not going to work!"

"You won't know till you try"

"I don't need to! It's too small to do anything!"

"Pessimism is not really something I'd expect from _you_ young lady"

"Sorry for the disappointment" I deactivated the blade and stuffed it back in its pocket "But unless I can pull an axe or a machete out my ass I can't help-!" I yelped as I felt my arm experience a white-hot pain, its weight suddenly shifting. _What the Pit now-?!_ My mouth dropped as I saw that my right forearm/hand had been… _weaponized_. I looked at it, then Rampage, and repeat. I did it so many times my neck hurt.

"Hmmm, not really from your posterior but it will do"

I ignored his snarky comment in favor of gaping at my arm. _The Vok –what was in that stuff?!_ My mind seemed to shut down and the concept of time meant little to me as I stared blankly at my arm. Thankfully, I was jostled from my stupor.

I whined as I rubbed my sore arm, courtesy of Rampage "Ow"

"You're welcome". Strangest thing was I was grateful that CrabbyCakes woke me from my catatonic state. And in return, I prepared myself for some emergency surgery. I sighed and gave a quick nod and raised my axe shaped forearm, and held it there.

"I'm going to cut this side and then move on to the next, I need you to pull while I'm doing that okay?"

"Get it done"

I brought the axe down swiftly, the blade effectively slicing through Rampage's metallic flesh. Doing my best to drown out his distressed cries, I moved onto the other side and performed the same action. _Whatever this alloy is it's strong enough to cut through Rampage,_ I gave the Predacon crab some distance as his top half severed from his bottom as he dragged himself backward. Once he got a reasonable distance away, Rampage propped himself up against the wall. "I am capable of regenerating limbs, however, I would recover faster if I had my old set" I took that as my cue to drag his other half to him. I had a fair idea of how his regenerative abilities worked (I may have asked Rhinox once or twice). With a grunt, I summoned every ounce of my strength to drag the large bulk to its owner. I had to keep myself from gagging as some of the mechanical innards spilled on me. Rampage no doubt enjoyed my disgust. "Someone's not going to be a doctor anytime soon"

"Oh be quiet and regenerate will you" I shivered as I shook the mech fluid off my hands –my axe reforming back into my hand/forearm shortly after I set Rampage free. _Now where was –ah there it is!_ Wanting very badly to take my mind off my gruesome deed, I went to go fetch the alien gizmo, i.e. _the_ Transmetal Driver. Problem was, when I got there, I realized that the electromagnetic field that suspended it was supported by magnetic devices mounted on the far side of each wall. And those were fifteen or so feet off the ground. I grumbled incoherently and looked for some way to power down the devices. That included levers, buttons, switches, etc. and my eyes searched frantically.

Heavy footsteps vibrated the ground beneath me, a sure sign CrabCakes had fully healed.

 _Ugh he's probably going to –wait!_ When all else failed "Hey Rampage…?" I resorted to the help of a tall person.

"We both were sent to this mountain with the same objective, my dear" red hands reached for the Driver but came up short. I snickered.

"An objective you _can't_ reach. I'll be more than happy to –eep!" I found myself being lifted to match the same level as the alien device.

"Don't hurt yourself" my temporary ally warned dryly. I wiggled my nose at him and grasped the Transmetal Driver cautiously. I got no reaction. With a heavy sigh, I clutched it close to my chest. "You can put me down now" I mewled when he almost dropped me to the floor.

* * *

The both of us weren't really sure what to do with ourselves after we retrieved the Transmetal Driver. We did not bother look for a way because, well, there wasn't a way out. Sure we were safe, but we were also buried. I thanked Primus I had no phobias of the dark (and maybe of crabs) as I sat cross-legged on the floor of the ship. Rampage was in his crab form, idly staring at the area behind me –he probably had his fair share of heckling me earlier that day. We were quiet with the mutual respect that none of us really had anything to discuss.

Up until we heard the soft roar of a flamethrower. And there were two bots I knew of that used them.

"I wonder who _that_ could be" Rampage twitched his antennae.

"You got a fifty-fifty chance between Inferno and Trailblazer"

The crab hummed and scuttled close to where one particular spot of the ship's ceiling began to glow red hot, an indication that whoever had come to rescue us had incinerated away any of the snow/ice and earth above, and had been at it for a while. The metal bubbled and then dripped, Rampage dancing around the falling molten metal in a funny fashion. At long last, a gaping hole had been made and voices could be heard.

"My…you seem to be in quite the pickle there Rampage, yesss"

Just not the voices I _wanted_ to hear.

"Have you recovered what the Royalty seeks Drone?!" Inferno demanded. I took that time to hide behind a large cylinder.

"No" the crab glanced in my direction.

"You're a horrible liar" Megatron sneered, and not even a second passed before Rampage convulsed. "Where is it?" the grape-faced tyrant growled out. _He's doing what he thinks a friend would do,_ I bit my lip as Rampage continued to squirm, _and_ _the gizmo also plays a role in the plot too-_ I sighed and stepped out behind my cover, and then rolled the Driver like a bowling ball toward Rampage.

 _Take it;_ the look I gave him assured my thoughts.

"My patience is waning…-"

"Fine" Rampage stomped over to where the alien device stopped just short of being seen by Megatron and his lackey, and grabbed it.

"Now was that so hard?"

Megatron only got a grumble. I peeked around the cylinder to see the tyrant and Inferno step back to give their aggressively quiet comrade some room as he bent his knees, and _jumped_ through the crude exit. As all three Predacons left, I thought I saw Rampage jerk his head toward the hole as if indicating my location to no one in particular. _He probably just has a crick in his neck_

That was not the case. A minute later, a large red transmetal jumped through and landed with a thud. Cobalt optics sparkled upon seeing me.

 _Well I'll be damned_

"Well I'll be damned"


	14. Chapter 14

**I do absolutely NOT own Transformers: Beast Wars**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Feral Scream**

"Cassandra?"

I woke up with a pounding headache. I groaned to find the source that ended my peaceful slumber was right in the doorway, and I would have snorted at how silly he looked crouching if I wasn't so grouchy " _You're_ still here? Shouldn't you be out hunting your 'nemesis'?" my tone unintentionally being too harsh as Depth Charge winced in response.

"I wanted to see if you were okay before I went out"

"What do you mean by 'okay'…?" I picked up my digital clock, which read 6 o'clock "and I thought you left once the sun rose?"

I was given the biggest 'grin' "you may want to take a closer look at your clock DollFace"

 _What-_ I squinted, then frowned "it's six… _p.m._? So this would be your…" _…your second round…_

"Rhinox and the others are worried about you, so once you get up you may want to check with them" he turned to leave.

"Wait" but stopped abruptly as I swung myself from my bed –which proved to be a bad idea as I fell flat on my face. I groaned miserably and stood right back up to see him smirking. The smirk dissipating as soon as shot him a frown "May I come with you?" so I made up for it by asking nicely. I wanted to go outside anyway.

"Sure, but like I said before; you may want to check in with Rhinox" he crouched and offered a palm so I could climb on. I did so, but almost fell off him in the process. And even if he didn't make a peep, I was very much aware of that one corner of his 'mouth' twitched upward.

* * *

Checking in with Rhinox was rather quick despite the rhino's evident concern –coming in the form of him insisting to run more tests on me. It warmed my heart to know Rhinox still cared for my well-being even if our interactions were thinning; of course under that robust build I was very aware of the big heart. And the same went with the grouchy ex-Marshal as he carried me on his shoulder as we both set out for one of his evening trips.

* * *

"You're too quiet you know that?" a trip that seemed to be doused with silence, and something I would have considered surreal if DC's annoyed gruff voice hadn't snapped me back to reality. We were currently above rocky ridges, because a lovely tropical forest would have been too overrated.

"Mmmhm" I mumbled, my face never left the smooth aqua (or was it turquoise?) metal. There was a sigh.

"You still think I'm a complete jerk don't you?"

"Mmm…care to argue that?"

"I'm doing Primal and the others a favor by hunting that monster you know"

I picked my head up "which one?"

"Nevermind"

I groaned and rubbed my temples, but didn't complain. I took what I could get, especially when DC had a head and spark casing as strong as the toughest alloy. We resumed the rest of the ride in silence, up until the manta caught something on his specially-tuned radar and muttered an 'ah ha'. Holding on for dear life, which sobered me from my drowsy state, I braced myself as DC swooped down and transformed. Shouts, gunfire, and a single loud explosion could be heard a distance away, which had both of us on full alert as DC cautiously prowled around boulders and rocky spires with both guns drawn. As we rounded one particular corner, we saw somebody rummaging through a pile of rubble. "Hey it's Che-" I gasped as Depth Charge ejected one of his golden plasma discs right in the direction of the cat, the poor kid had to throw himself just in time to avoid getting blasted. Agitated, I delivered a mean slap right upside the Transmetal mantas' helm, which he returned with a growl.

"The _Pit_ woman-?!"

"Oh, you know why you water-logged jerk!" I clambered off of him, and then double-timed it toward Cheetor. I thoroughly searched and prodded the cats' form, earning a light chuckle for my antics.

"St-stop that tickles! hehehaha –ow!"

 _Found it!_ I got ready to perform any needed repairs, but paused when I saw it was only a dent.

"I-I'm okay C-Cass-!" green optics immediately narrowed as Cheetor then set them on the large figure of DC as he had finally decided to step out of the shadows "Hey! You mind taking it easy with the power pizzas!"

"Looked like you were having trouble" the manta ray lumbered over toward an unearthed Optimus.

"You could have helped him _without_ almost blowing him to smithereens" I suggested pointedly, but only got a glance. I rolled my eyes then walked over toward Optimus to attempt repairs, but got waved off.

"Thank you-" _oh thank goodness he's thanking me for my attempted effort I was about to throw a tantrum_ "-but I'll settle with a CR chamber, you three need to stop Megatron and Waspinator-"

"And Rampage?"

I bit my tongue, remembering the crab was the sole reason for the opportunity for that day's mission, as opposed to sitting in the command center with Rhinox bombarding me with questions.

"Uuuhhh no…we'd remember him"

"Then what was that blip you detected…" I knew, but had to stay quiet for things to run their course, even if I didn't like it. The manta shrugged and internally consulted the obnoxious unit, his optics briefly displayed a radar as he did so.

"It's got to be him, my scanners are tuned to his spark" he kneeled and offered his palm for me to get on. _Awww so he's actually having me be a part of this,_ I -without the slightest suspicion of what he was going to do next- climbed aboard, my foot 'slipped'. In an effort to prevent me from falling, Depth Charge's other hand flew up to support me from behind, and one of his fingers roughly contacted my head as he did so, _that sly son-of-a-_ but I didn't call him out, instead, I just smirked and sat down on his shoulder _I'll get him later_. As he levitated, his scanners notified him again of Rampage's spark signature "His reading is this way" and so off we went. Optimus shouted for us (specifically DC) to not engage, an undoubtedly futile effort as the manta flew toward a single, sinister -and large- peak.

* * *

 _Creepy…_ we stayed in the shadows as Megatron performed his twisted experiment involving a protoform, _if Rampage were here he wouldn't let this happen…_ a small voice in the back of my head whispered to me, and I ignored it. I peered to see Megatron holding a box-like contraption, which held something pulsing and bright, I scowled as I watched the megalomaniacal tyrant feed half of Rampages' spark to the silver-liquid body. I nudged Depth Charge and whispered "that's what triggered your scanners…" pointing at the protoform "that was half of Rampages' spark"

"Seriously?!" ruby optics scrutinized the life-to-be as Waspinator installed THE alien gizmo into an electromagnetic holding field and then awaited further orders. Both of us watched in horror as a long metal rod extended into the sky and harnessed the raw power of the lightning. _I'm not so sure about DC but I know I'm getting a Frankenstein vibe outta this_ after listening to Megatron roar some mumbo-jumbo loud enough for everybody in the Matrix to hear him; we then had to cover our eyes as a bright flash dominated our vision. Ducking back behind cover -and staying that way for a few good moments- we both then risked a peek. My jaw dropped at the sight of a Transmetal raptor as it clicked its' talons and snapped its' jaws at the air, _enter Dinobot II, man the original gonna be_ ** _ticked_** _…_

"Hey" DC tapped me with one of his blasters, "let's get going" but I waited till Waspinator cowered behind Megatron to actually step out of my cover. I was too busy listening to some interesting exchange of words before-hand.

"-not like new lizard-bot!"

"I agree" DC sneered "…but then; I'm not crazy about any of you!" both of us aimed our weapons. Megatron snapped his scowl at me.

"Ahhh we have _guests_. A sterling opportunity for you to-" he harrumphed "-test your _metal_ Dinobot-"

I laughed boisterously "Really?! You made a clone-?" I elbowed Depth Charge "someone's obsessed-"

"Silence you wench! Dinobot-ERRAAGH!" Megatron flew backwards as a couple of rounds knocked into him. I looked up to see a smug manta, both of his 'remoras' smoked at the tips.

"And just when I was wondering who to shoot first"

There was a loud animalistic roar; none of us ready as a white flash leapt onto Depth Charge and proceeded to rapidly slice at him with his talons, the repeated movements easily kept the raptor from falling back onto firm ground. I gaped as DC collapsed, parts of his face and chest ripped up as he cradled whatever wounds he could, the injured manta immediately lost the focus of Megs' creation…as it then strode toward me. _Whelp, this is what I get for making fun of the new guy-_

"Cassie! Run!"

 _Aww he used my nickname –oh wait!_ I backpedaled swiftly, both afraid of the new Dinobot that I wanted to run, but didn't quite want to turn my back on him. And as consequence for NOT listening to my flee instincts I found my back pressed against the ground and my belly pressed by a large Transmetal raptor foot. A large talon clicked dangerously next to my head as Dinobot v.2 snarled and turned his head to study me with a single deep-red optic with what appeared to be…recognition. _Why hello! I'm your half-brothers' friend!_ I gave a short, nervous (half-assed) laugh "So you're not really going to tear me to itty bitty pieces are you?", but suppressed a squeak as both his optics glinted with malicious intent. The claw next to me clicked twice with the anticipation of a kill.

"It would be in Lord Megatrons' best interest"

 _Uh oh,_ I wriggled helplessly.

"You are correct Dinobot, yessss" Megatrons' toothy grin stood out in contrast to the overcast skies "I have long since made up my mind about your worth…", the tyrant sauntered over and kneeled beside me "that being your troublesome nature exceeds it. Dinobot you may begin the feast-"

"Hey-!" Cheetor suddenly popped over the ridge "let me add some hot Cheetor pepper to spice things up!" and began firing, incapacitating Waspinator and -after a few good shots- Megatron. The Transmetal cheetah then jumped down and fired at Dinobots' clone, and drew the raptors' heavy weight off of me, and right onto him. The raptor did the same 'single-optic' examination on the kid as he did to me, and while he was distracted, Depth Charge grabbed me and ran to the nearest cover. Cheetor joined us in mere moments.

"Is…is that Dinobot?"

"Dinobot's back at base Cheetor…"

"Yeah but-"

DC hushed us, and spoke with a whisper "he's a clone…transmetallized with that alien unit"

"…that I lost to Rampage…" (as the story once I got back to base went) I rubbed my temples "any suggestions on how to get it back?"

Both bots shrugged and peeked over our cover, only to duck back down as something violently destroyed a good chunk of the boulder shielding us. _Get DOWN you idiots!_ I rolled my eyes as both the boys continued to watch the raptor (whom was in robot form) as he perused the area with his optical laser. And of course, he eventually found us -or rather DC and Cheetor- an electrical droning noise my only warning before DC grabbed me (again) and dove to the far right. As I managed to get on my two feet, I saw a certain kitty pilot a hover unit, _ram him kiddo-_

"Weeeeheeehee!" and plowed right into Transmetal-II Dinobot, and with a few aerial stunts, nabbed the Transmetal driver. I gave him thumbs up as he pulled his arm back.

"Depth Charge go deep!"

As I watched the manta perform a catch a professional football player would be proud of, something purple/brown stirred at the corner of my eye, _oh shit-_ "Cheetor look out!" my warning came in a little too late as good ol' Megsy scored a direct hit and sent Cheetor straight into the field. The cat spun uncontrollably due to the electromagnetic currents influence…trapped with no chance of escaping. In that moment, I was absolutely close to crying like a little girl.

"Cheetor!" even though it was for the plot's sake, my throat still felt constricted as Depth Charge gently picked me up and ran as far from the dangerous hum of the freakish machine as he could. He didn't get very far as a concussive explosion sent us flying across the barren peaks, the landing knocked the wind out of me and did a significant number on my aqua-bat friend. I whimpered in pain and curled under DC's protective hand as large chunks of earth rained on us, a metallic clang caught my attention. I eased out of the manta's grip, then walked over to a piece of plating… _Cheetor's_ chest plating. "…Cheetor…" I whispered and shuffled back into Depth Charges' outstretched arms "I'm sorry"

* * *

We were just barely able to fly back to base with the manta's condition. He transformed slowly so I could step onto his palm, and the ex-Marshal landed as softly as he could manage. I hugged Cheetors' half-torso plate as Optimus walked out to address his main concern.

"Where's Cheetor?"

I reluctantly tossed him the piece.

"Cat was tough…he went out fighting" Depth Charge limped past our leader. And continued our awkward silence even once we stepped into the command center, he set me down and casted an apologetic look as he wandered off elsewhere with the Transmetal unit. I sighed and sat lazily in front of the computer, and waited.

* * *

I waited for hours in complete boredom, not wanting to hunt down any of the other Beasties for something to do; my mind was too set on giving Megatron a piece of my mind, same went with Dinobot-II too. I smiled when I saw DC step into the room with his gun drawn and his ruby optics narrowed with determination, his fully-healed form a far-cry from what he looked like earlier…that being complete slag "Looking pretty good for a dead guy".

The manta smirked, that smirk quickly disappeared as his tracking unit notified him that 'Rampage' was nearby, for the tenth time. And so before he could stomp off, I stepped in front of him and stretched out my arms "What am I, chopped liver?".

* * *

 _Hmmm I have some regrets_ it was misty and cold. And dark -but I already knew that- because of the lateness of the hour and the storm. And yet, I felt energized, _because you slept till 6 p.m. you lazy thing you, Trailblazer was probably worried sick_ I breathed in the mist, the dampness strangely refreshing. "Keep your eyes peeled"

I gave a cheeky grin "That's sounds rather painful"

"…"

"Let me guess… _'and your mouth shut'_?" I used air quotations.

"Precisely"

We both jumped as something stirred behind us. It was nothing, or what I thought was nothing as a large white figure ambushed both of us and delivered a mean whack upside the mantas' head which rendered him unconscious. I managed to play hide-n-seek and got a few good shots in but…yeah I got captured too, _well at least he brought binds…didn't he want to kill me?_ I kept my mouth shut for the duration of the long and painfully slow voyage back to (ding ding) the mountain range.

* * *

It was humiliating, being bound against a tree –er Depth Charge. The raptor tied up the ray's unconscious form before he smugly restricted me against Depth Charge's waist…and to make things more awkward? Megatron and two others watched. Rampage grumbled while Quickstrike watched and chuckled like some pervert. Things also started to hurt when DC woke up and started wiggling around, I then had to (kindly) remind him of my discomfort every time he did move, didn't help that he was a stubborn mackerel either.

"The alien Transmetal driver… _now_ "

"Don't have it" DC shrugged.

There was a snarl "Too bad for you!" as Dinobot's clone shifted into bipedal mode and waltzed over to me and placed a sharp digit under my chin. "How about you?" he _cooed_.

 _EEEEYUCK!_ "I don't have it either, but I do know where it is…" I suppressed the urge to smirk.

"Oh…?" he leaned in closer.

I 'solemnly' down-casted my eyes (DC tensed up) "I-It's…it's…up your _ass_ -" I snapped them back up, my grin reaching to an almost demonic proportion "-and _around_ the _corner_!"

Everyone who wasn't Megatron or Dinobot either laughed out loud or tried to suppress one. The only two getting hurt were myself and Rampage; I got back-handed whereas Rampage suddenly convulsed because of you-know-who. My eyes shot over to Dinobot-II in time to see him pull his spark chamber back into his chest.

"Thank you Dinobot" Megatron advanced toward us, wagging his tail-cannon threateningly as he scowled at DC "The other equipment has been salvaged, but you took the alien Transmetal unit. _Where_ is it?!" Megatron growled.

"I already said-" I got back-handed again.

"It's gone, ain't that a _kick_ in the lugnuts" DC sneered and then chuckled –a contagious noise that had me and Quickstrike chuckle too.

"Snotty lil' flounder ain't 'e? lemme gut 'em for ya boss-"

"No, he's mine! I shall feast on his still pulsating spark-!" Rampage's mandibles contorted as he made some disgustingly unpleasant sounds "MINE-!"

A large feline yowled close-by, and made us all jump. I tried to follow everyone's focus as a slim feline-shaped shadow dipped in and out of the darkness, its red optics (red optics seemed to be very popular) seemingly probed into our very souls as it studied us. Low growls got closer and closer, another yowl being the Predacon's only warning before a shadowy creature knocked them all on their backs and/or faces, Dinobot-II being the only one on his two feet.

"Wha-what is that thing?" Megatron held a hand over his sliced chest.

"I don't know boss, some kinda ghost maybe? Or it will be after I'm done with it! Yeeehahahahaw-!" Quickstrike flexed his snake arm "Here comes Poison!". For once, me and Megatron (silently) agreed on something as we shook our heads in unison at the fuzor's idiocy. Once he hopped over a cluster of boulders, the sound of a skirmish rang out, which proved to be an easy win -for the cat specifically- as Quickstrikes' cobra limb was sent flying over. It landed before us as one of it's fangs broke off. I cackled.

"That's my pet Whiskers isn't he cute-"

"Shut up" Megatron grumbled and stood, forming a tight group with the other two as they scanned their dark surroundings for their unknown assailant. Rampage and Dinobot quickly locked onto the cat with the aid of their flashlight/optical laser.

"Fire! _Fire_!"

 _Like they need to be told that…_ I smirked as I watched Rampage _bombard_ the cat with heavy rounds. The creature not at all deterred by the heavy firepower as it rushed him and Dinobot-II with determined optics. Or more like: it rushed _in between_ them. Both crab and raptor -without the slightest idea of what was going to transpire- blasted each other away as the Transmetal-II raptor finally got a lock, but on the wrong target when the cat decided to run-down Megs, "No! You fools!" and thus left the tyrant all by his lonesome. Well, almost, there was a buzzing that came from the woods –which was revealed to be Waspinator, though Megatron shot him anyway. There were more yowls, and DC tensed up as they suddenly ceased…and we saw why as a shadow approached Megatron at break-neck speed. Upon collision it caused the tyrant to do a funny little spin on his tail-cannon as if he were the Tasmanian Devil, ultimately sending him over the cliff. And thus the silence came, the only thing constituting as noise being DCs' venting. _I almost forgot how scary Cheetor was in this –damn you cyber-puberty,_ I tensed at every shadow as they all seemed to move…then came the growl. That growl got louder as the feline decided to step out its' cover, the light from the energy binds easily illuminated the feral figure as he paused some feet away from us. He yowled.

Blink.

Blink. _Oh sh-!_ And he yowled again as he lunged at DC and firmly pressed his paws against the manta's chest as he sniffed both of us.

"Depth Charge!"

Feral Cheetor immediately pushed himself off as Optimus closed in and bounded up on top of a good-sized boulder. Once the ape set us free, we all stared in awe at the feline as he stared back and then leaped off into the darkness once he got disinterested.

"What _was_ that _thing_?"

* * *

Despite his injuries, DC could still fly to the base. But I needed to ride with Optimus as a safety precaution. Once there, Rhinox patched up my face which sported a few cuts from when Dinobot's clone backhanded me –which had earned an angry rant from the original once I had said who had done so. After that I walked with Rhinox (because I was still too awake to go to sleep) and told him about that day's events as he personally informed our other teammates of the feline. Our final destination being outside as we joined Optimus. Our fearless leader looked to be in deep thought. I could understand why.

"I've gotten through with the others. They've been warned about the creature…whatever it is"

"…or who…" Primal mumbled. _You have the right idea…_

"What?" which was unheard by Rhinox.

"Nothing…" there was a hum "Silverbolt and Blackarachnia are combing sector Taorhees. You join Rattrap in-"

I held my ears prior to the alarms blaring to life. The sentry guns and lights immediately locked onto the Transmetal form of-

"Cheetor!" and so I ran to the aid of my 'little brother' as he collapsed onto the mud. Optimus and Rhinox followed shortly behind me as I kneeled to check for any damage.

* * *

 _Uuuugggghhh still not tired,_ I laid sprawled on my bed for a few more minutes, and finally summoned the willpower to get up and check on my spotted Transmetal buddy. On my way there, I'd wave/flip off any security camera I saw –because I knew that Rattrap was on base monitor duty. I didn't pass anybody, the lack of staff didn't bother me because I knew the whereabouts of the majority of them…creepy, I know. Typing in the pass-code (because I also knew a majority of the pass-codes) I peeked into Cheetor's room to see Freckles as he tossed and turned. He sported multiple injuries, but was otherwise fine. Sighing, I closed the door and made my way to the command center, eager for something to do, _I'm sure if I ask nicely enough, Optimus will allow me to go for a nice walk –oomf!_ I rubbed my nose as I bumped into someone big and red.

"How's Freckles?"

"Tossing and turning, in pain since his stubborn ass refused to use a CR chamber"

Trailblazer sniggered "Kid's tough, glad he pulled through" and pat my shoulder as he resumed walking "I'm going to bed, got a huge headache"

"Don't we all?"

"Yeah…had a nice, long productive day of hard work –and Dinobot's incessant nagging" he stopped and looked over his shoulder "Say, why are you not in bed? It's midnight…-"

"Don't play stupid, you know I woke up at six _p.m._ "

"Yeah that's right-!" Trailblazer chuckled as he disappeared around a corner "Sleeping Beauty!"

With a nose twitch and swift flipping of the bird, I continued on towards the command center, _what an ass_.

* * *

Convincing Optimus and _Rhinox_ and _Dinobot_ that I'd be safe and cautious on my midnight stroll was easy enough. The big ape strongly insisted that I had to bring a partner, however, after I told him I wouldn't go far (just halfway around the base of Mount St. Hilary), he eventually let me go –with a small frown on his face.

I smiled as I breathed in fresh, misty warm air. I hummed as I sat on a large rock; _the Beast Wars are almost over…_ my eyelids drooped, not out of fatigue, but rather relaxation. _Just a few or more Beasties to save…I hope I'm ready,_ I also had long since added most of the other Predacons to my list of 'deaths to prevent'…because in a very odd way, I've grown attached to those characters too. I knew that it hadn't been luck, but planning that I've used to save Dinobot and Transmutate. The deaths of those two characters in the series were what I found to be major deaths/events that time had not dwindled away my memory of. On the other hand, I was not ready for the abduction of Airazor and Tigatron, something I had been guilty of since that day. And then there was balance.

I couldn't save everybody without consequence. And that was scared me the most.

 _So Dinobot and Transmutate take up the spots of Airazor and Tigatron…but eventually those two will come back down to Earth. Then I have Depth Charge and Rampage, that's going to be a real challenge. And then I have the rest of the Predacons-_ I heard the distant random pattern of footsteps approach me, indicating that they not only belonged to multiple legs –but multiple legs belonging to a single being. I grinned like a cat and found a suitable hiding place within the time it took Crabby to reach my position. _Time to blow some steam, my head was beginning to feel like a tea kettle,_ I waited until Rampage stopped and transformed, the crab scanning the area for any sign of movement. Ah yes, how I delighted in such a moment. I quickly and quietly climbed onto the tallest boulder I could, and with caution thrown to the wind, I leaped onto Rampage's back.

I smirked and tapped his head just as he pulled out his rifle "Don't you have a still-pulsating spark to feast on?"

"Oh ha _ha_ " he sheathed the weapon back into his subspace "Any other day and I'd _love_ to exchange witty retorts with you – _however_ , I need your help and I don't want to waste time"

" _My_ help?"

"I'll explain on the way" he casually tossed me into the air mid-transformation. I grunted on impact, _okay, I deserved that_.

* * *

I wriggled my nose as we traversed a fair amount of land, with little words. _So, when does he start explaining things…?_ I knocked on his shell. No response, I figured he was just being an ass. So I went with an alternative, _I wonder…_ I tickled one of his antennae, and that earned an antennae twitch and a grunt, but he continued to ignore me. I hummed and then tickled both his antennae, he was able to suppress his snort "Would you _knock_ that _off_?!"

I grinned like an idiot and resumed tickling, "I'll stop once you tell me _why_ you need _my_ help"

"Fine" he grumbled. I stopped the tickle-fest "It concerns Transmutate"

 _Uh oh,_ "Has Megatron found her?!"

"No…he's been having suspicions"

"So you captured me because of a hunch?"

"The patrol routes have been getting closer to her sanctuary" we both entered a lush forest "I need _you_ to relocate her"

"Why-"

"After I drop you off, I need to report straight back to Megatron"

"Oh"

"I trust you have suitable locations in mind?"

"I'm bound to find a nice cave or two"

* * *

Once we reached the hide-out, Transmutate greeted us with a big smile. Wordlessly, I hopped off of Rampage and bounded over to Transmutate to grasp her hand "We're moving" not bothering to sugar-coat anything. The mutated transformer tilted her head in confusion "…moo…oove?". Rampage, in robot mode, walked over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It is alright, this is for your own safety"

"…safe…ty…?"

I gently tugged, wishing to find her a new home before my 'Sleeping Beauty' energy wore off "Our new home will be-" Rampage glanced at me "- _nicer_ than this one" and I glanced back as I led Transmutate deeper into the forest.

* * *

It took **half** the **day** to find her the appropriate hiding place, and by that I implied that I already knew where I was going, it just took some time to get there. Because I was true to my word, I also made certain that the cave was significantly nicer than the dank-ass hole Rampage picked. Yes, I was a little upset that he sprang something so urgent on me because of a hunch. Yet, I was happy to help Transmutate, glad that she was someplace safe and unknown even to Rampage, somewhere I knew well. That somewhere being a lovely (primary) cave located twenty or so miles away from where the Axalon once was. Found it on one of my more daring patrols where I'd venture off by myself. None of the other Maximals knew about it, and because I hadn't frequented it in recent days, they never asked. It was rather really a shelter I used mid-journey when I helped with supplies, or when there was a storm and/or too many Predacons were around.

I plopped myself onto a smooth slab, hot and exhausted, and drowsily stripped off my boots. I was even too tired to be worried of the inevitable chastising I was going to get from Optimus (and especially Dinobot) for going missing on a supposedly quick stroll. So as I drifted off to sleep -Transmutate cuddled up next to me (because she's just that damn cute)- I removed all worry from my mind.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers:Beast Wars**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Sticking Together (Proving Grounds)**

"…this…one?" I was handed a healthy looking pear.

"Why thank you, madam" and grasped the delicious fruit with tender carefulness, even if I felt particularly ravenous that day.

It had been three weeks since I took residence in the cave in favor of giving Transmutate my full attention. That included giving her lessons on speech and scavenging crystallized energon and a variety of equipment (nabbed from one of Tarantula's lairs, which I wasn't sure was still in use) that were of necessity for a transformer, and of course we'd harvest a variety of other things of the organic kind. All of our time in the cave had been peaceful, just two ladies whom seldom had much interaction, bonding over a variety of tasks. I suppose I do not need to tell one that we had grown close, as in 'sister' close. Sure BA had grown on me too, but I had to maintain a certain level of professionalism around her, i.e. I had to refrain from being my knucklehead self, which was quite often because it was a part of my personality. With Transmutate, I could be myself, my silly and affable self like I would be around my own brother and sister. Yes, I never forgot them, and being around my mutated friend guaranteed that I would continue to remember them.

"Oh ah, okay ahaha _ow_ " I winced as I had accidently bit into the pit of the pear. I felt a poke.

"…friend…accident prone" Transmutate nudged me. I smiled and patted her head in agreement. _Since the day I was born…_ I led Transmutate toward the energon refiner/dispenser, and went about preparing her breakfast ration.

I felt another poke. Brilliant red optics sparkled as I smiled and gently gathered the large cup in my own two hands, _that's right, she needs more fuel than that, duh_. I silently thanked Transmutate for her patience, the poor thing had dealt with my forgetfulness frequently since we had taken shelter from the war. My eye twitched as I realized that I filled the cup to the absolute brim. Again. I really hated spacing out. "You might need to take large slurps…oh, and drink with this..." I reminded myself that I made straws at some point as a leisurely activity. I muttered an 'ah-ha' as I plucked the nearest straw from a jar _next_ to the energon refiner/dispenser. It was amazing how I temporarily forgot about such things. "Here, take a sip" I placed the cup down on the rock, both hands keeping it secure on both sides as Transmutate sucked from the narrow tube…and little by little, the cup emptied.

It wasn't until it was completely gone that I realized another problem. And it was a problem that I couldn't just pluck the solution out of a jar, "Uh oh" but rather I needed to go out and scavenge. I frowned when I saw that the cart was devoid of energon crystals "Well that bites" –but knowing that narrowing my eyes at it wouldn't magically spawn the much needed fuel source, I gathered my energon harvesting tools and made my way to the cave entry/exit. I paused as I waited for Transmutate to grab her tools –which I had patiently taught her how to use during the first week of us being 'roommates', and she had proved to be more proficient with it than I had ever been, so when we scavenged I always took her with me, that, and because company was good to have.

* * *

 _Hmmm, she could probably be stealthy a jungle cat…maybe a leopard? A panther? Nah she's got the heart of a flier...hmmm...was she once a Seeker...?_ I continued to debate what Transmutate would have been if she had a beast mode, if she hadn't suffered significant damage to her stasis pod. And most important of all; _who_ she once _was_. I had grown attached to her mutated form and naïve and innocent demeanor, but I couldn't help but have felt that it was selfish to leave her in that condition. Her mental faculties I knew had been impaired, emotions were present, but her memories and sense of identity were shot, and that was when I told myself that Rhinox's diagnosis all those months ago hadn't mentioned anything regarding her spark. I frowned, _if we could…no, that procedure is too risky, and sparks are merely essence, who's to say they contain the individuals' personality? Or maybe I got this all wrong –damn it Cassie! You're a Transformers fangirl how could this be so hard?!_ We prowled the side of a clearing, keeping watch for any movement, _because you don't want her to suffer anymore than she already has_. I found my gaze wandering to the sky. It was well past afternoon, borderline evening. My stomach growled but I ignored it, my focus locked onto a pond.A soft sigh escaped my lips as I bent down to splash some cool water on myself. Transmutate patiently waited to my right.

I wasn't overheating, or stressed out; I just felt the need to do so. "I should really resume my search for energon crystals" my tone was laced with reluctance, and my body refused to budge from beside the pond, Transmutate followed my example and seated herself down as well. Her shoulders went lax and her optics dimmed. Sometimes, I really was a bad influence.

Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, a cackle brought us out of our trance.

"And just where do you plan on finding those?"

Scowling, I reached for my gun and pulled it out in one fluid movement. Problem was, there was no gun, and I was aiming my hand at a chuckling Tarantulas. _Let's see: Clothes, check. Utility belt complete with harvesting tools, check. Much-needed firearm, big fat nope_ , my right eye twitched, _stupid ass_. The transmetal spider sauntered around the pond, smug as can be "My, just you and Transmutate and…what's this?! You're _without_ a _weapon_!" his mandibles clicked in mock disappointment "Whatever will you do?".

I wanted to express exactly what I'd 'do' in the form of me doing it. However, a curious Transmutate was close by. And violence was not an option when she was around, even more so when she didn't know the bot across from us. She likely saw him as a potential friend. "What do you want Chuckles" some venom found its way into my tone.

"Why I just wanted to say hello!"

"You're so full of slag it's dripping out of your ugly mug" _oops…so much for not cursing_. Transmutates' eyes sparkled.

"…slag?" _whelp, Rampage is going to kick my ass for that_

"I met you completely by coincidence! Honest!" it seemed Tarantulas enjoyed the coincidence too much. If anything, he acted like he had some advantage. Wary, I stepped closer to Transmutate.

"Honesty! From you-?" I chortled "yeahaha _right_ and Rattrap doesn't cheat at Poker" my tone _oozed_ sarcasm. Tarantulas's spidery protrusions twitched, but his face remained neutral.

"I have grown rather weary from days in the lab, so I decided to go for a walk"

 _Hmmm plausible_ "Okay…" I did a once-over of his relaxed frame "So…are you going to attack me or what? I really doubt you're going to let me and Transmutate gather sustenance and other things in peace"

"You're spouting nonsense, my dear…"

One side of my face wriggled.

"As you are probably not aware, I've never really been a part of Megatrons' command" he inched closer. I snapped my eyes over onto his visor, and he stopped dead in his tracks. I was absolutely certain I saw him fumble with something behind his back again. A sure sign he definitely hid something, but I stood my ground, even in all the likelihood that he could have easily overpowered me with brawn alone. He wasn't buff like Rampage or Dinobot, but he certainly towered over me and had some 'muscle'. I pretended not to acknowledge any danger as his mandibles twitched while his visor narrowed. _I don't want Transmutate to panic,_ his feet slowly shuffled toward me as I rubbed my temples. _But we need to get out of here right now!_

"I'm aware that you operate within the parameters of your self-interest" I sighed and took quick side-steps around the edge of the pond, _buy some time_ "I'm sure there's nothing to gain from maiming and/or killing me and Transmutate. That would be more in Megatron's interest" I kept my eyes trained onto an awkward Tarantulas as he paused abruptly. _Now!_

With my decision made, I grinned and kicked him as hard in the lugnuts as I could "Well, we have energon to gather, please don't shoot us in the ass once we turn our backs!" and proceeded to bound off. _Doh! I swore again-!_

"Ass?" Transmutate mimicked, I face-palmed.

"We need to fly!" I made sure everything on my belt was secure as Transmutate lifted me off the ground. I held on tightly as we got around ninety or so feet off the ground, and once I was convinced that we were safe from Tarantulas, I eased my grip. _That was really close; I was so sure he was going to-_

I shrieked when Transmutate began losing altitude. And fast. My terror grew once I saw that her optics were dim with drowsiness. Energon currents covered her body as it shook uncontrollably.

 _...cyber venom..._

I clung as tightly as I could when we breached the tree-line. And clung even tighter when we landed, Transmutate took the brunt of the fall. "Transmutate?" I got a groan.

"Owwww"

Miraculously, she had made a comeback from the venom quickly. If anything, the fall was worse. Dusting myself off, I attempted to pull her up. As I did so, a very peculiar feeling (what felt like a pinch) made me tremble. Less than a second later, my whole body entered a spasm and did not cease, I cursed when I heard an evil chuckle echo from directly behind me. Transmutate (upon seeing that Tarantulas was indeed a bad guy) tried to defend me through use of her oral-laser weapon, but the move was easily countered as Tarantulas simply fired a few more darts, the combined venom making for a stronger effect. With a garbled groan, my mutated friend slumped to the forest floor.

"Funny; I usually do shoot people once they turn their backs on me" Tarantulas' transmetal body was right next to mine and his claw scraped along my cheek, while his other held a web-net.

"Yet you waited until we were nearly a hundred feet in the air. Do you realize you could have _killed_ us?!"

"You're still alive aren't you? Both you and your mutant friend" he took his sweet time wrapping me in the net, escape would have been easy, provided if I wasn't still under the influence of the venom. "I most certainly didn't want you two killed; I am not so careless you know. I calculate such things" he moved onto Transmutate and bundled her in the adhesive substance too. As he finished, he tossed her onto his spider abdomen mid-transformation. The spider-cycle then revved over to where my prone form was and, with a few prods of the mandibles, tossed me carelessly onto Transmutate "Oh! And by the way…you two have been _stealing_ from _me_ the past few weeks"

 _And it was worth it!_ I rolled my eyes and allowed myself a light nap as my eyes fluttered, no thanks to the super-light dose I had received.

* * *

I heard voices. Half-awake from my nap, I identified Inferno, Tarantulas, and…Megatron. I surmised that Tarantulas was intercepted by a patrol team, whoever caught him must have called their leader. I had to hold any displeased noises in favor of remaining unnoticed. I also wanted to listen for Transmutate.

"…interest…human…absurd" that was clearly Megatron, but my mind couldn't process all the words. _Come on mind! Focus, it was just a measly little shot, it probably wasn't even a quarter of a full dose!_

"…treacherous…think…Royalty" _pffft Inferno_

"…friend…!"

And there it was. I cracked my right eye open to see Transmutate's worried red optics on me. I quickly shut my eyes when the three other transformers shifted on their pedes. I was starting to hear other noises more clearly, my hearing recovered at a fair pace but I was still very groggy. _Focus…_

"It seems the freak and the human woman have a bond, yesss"

"What do you wish to do with them Royalty?"

I heard Tarantulas nervously click his mandibles. Not because he was worried what would happen to us. He was worried that whatever happened to us, it was not by his hand.

"Hmmm, Tarantulas?"

"Y-yes…?"

"Are you going to tell me what is so special about the two or are going to go on _evading_ all my questions?"

"Forgive me Megatron, I thought they were free game, you did want the girl dead didn't you?"

I felt an intense glare on me. Megatron grunted "She is troublesome…" there was a pause "and as for the mutant…we could use it…"

"My Queen, I thought you deemed it useless?"

"I've changed my mind. If I can control that miserable excuse of a crustacean, I am more than capable of keeping _Transmutate_ on a leash-"

"She's not a dog you Grape-Faced _jackass_!" I was only given a smug stare as I shot up from where I laid on the floor, _damn my temper_. The tyrant probably had already been aware that I was awake.

"Have a pleasant _nap,_ young lady?"

I huffed "Sure" and shot right up onto my feet "Though it's nothing compared to the _nap_ you'll have after I'm done with you".

"Watch your tone, wench" Inferno warned and stepped between me and Megatron, as _if_ I was a threat. Tarantulas snickered.

"Ever the brave one…" he looked over to Megatron, an expectant look in his visor "if you do not want her, I will _gladly_ take her back"

Megatron smirked at me. I did not like that smirk. And neither did Transmutate, the mutated transmetal struggled against her binds, a deep frown set on her face. Something she only did when she was in total distress or worry.

"Don't hurt my friend!" there were no pauses and/or broken speech. Our speech lessons together had worked fairly well. It was a shame that they wouldn't do much in our predicament.

"Oh, _I_ won't" Megatron's toothy grin shot over to Transmutate "Tarantulas, the girl is yours-"

Tarantulas's spider-leg protrusions twitched happily.

"And as for the mutant, I wish for it to undergo a… _reformatting_ , yesss"

"Thank you Megatron, I will get to work right away!" Tarantulas strutted over to me and seized my arm, his grip sure to leave a bruise. "How often should I send reports?"

"Daily"

"It will be done Megatron!"

Satisfied with his (supposed) subordinate's enthusiastic response, Megatron nodded and transformed. The transmetal tyrannosaurus's hover system kicked in as he levitated, Inferno joining him. "Tarantulas"

"Neh?"

"I will send someone every three days to monitor your progress…" the t-rex scowled "do _not_ disappoint me". As soon as the Predacon tyrant flew off with Inferno hot on his trail, Tarantulas snarled and gripped me with his mandibles, the spider carefully depositing me onto his abdomen. He scuttled on over to Transmutate, only instead of carrying her on his shell, the jerk shot a string of his webbing at her and proceeded to drag her along.

 _I will chop you into itty-bitty pieces and feed you to Rampage for that,_ I grit my teeth as he purposely accelerated over a bump.


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Transformers: Beast Wars.**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Reunion (Go With the Flow)**

It was around four weeks that we were in Tarantulas' care. Surprisingly, the tests he performed weren't at all that painful, and reminded me of the check-ups I had with Rhinox. Although it seemed like he was preparing me to be his meal the first few days, as the tests got more thorough, he instantly began treating me like a patient. He also was fairly mild when it came to addressing Transmutate, the spider obviously wanted to be on her good side since she was to 'join' Megs. As if I would let that happen. Anyway, the procedure to mold Transmutate into a Predacon soldier wasn't done in a day, or even a week. And whatever Tarantulas wanted to observe from me, I didn't give him the satisfaction –even if he knew that my human anatomy had been altered, he was clueless as to what I could really do and tried many times to encourage me. Sucker. Oh, and apparently he had quite a few other projects that stressed him out, what and with the other Predacons (and Grape-Face himself) when they snooped around his laboratory. I have to admit, I did like their company (except 'yesss' man) and I'd play hand games with Waspinator from my spot in a kennel. Hell, when Quickstrike dropped by we'd chat up the room too, and Inferno, well, he left me be figuring that maybe I was learning a 'lesson'.

As if.

The longer I stayed the more I heard. Valuable time eavesdropping eventually led me to what I wanted to hear; mentions of a disruptor ray and very little gossip of _the_ Nemesis.

I got _some_ rest when he was busy with other things, and me and Transmutate were permitted to talk with each other, as long as it wasn't plotting, or taunting him behind his back.

Oh how I was tempted.

Transmutate had changed in physical appearance quite significantly, as preparation for when Tarantulas would have her use the CR chamber to complete the process, and pick a beast mode. Ranty had complained once or twice how the transition was tedious work, which it was. One could not simply remove her spark and place into a new protoform because 1) they had no clue where her immense power came from (whether it was body or spark) and 2) they'd need a protoform. Which Tarantulas was not in possession of. I considered that a good thing, orders or no orders, I didn't trust Tarantulas with a delicate task. So, I just watched on as Tarantulas performed surgical work on my friend time and time again, and did an Ark load of cursing while he was at it.

"Would you hold still!" and speaking of delicate tasks...

"Make me-" I yelped as he stuck a needle in my arm. But it wasn't anything like the other needles. This needle was _special_. "You're such a pain" he scurried over to the main computer, and slipped the sample in, which was the hundredth one while in his lab. Ugh.

"Yet you still deal with me, gee I must be real special for you to _not_ eat. I can't imagine how bummed you were that day when you found I was more than just a succulent meal" I sneered.

"…don't remind me…" he grumbled (in hopes I didn't catch it) and glanced over his shoulder "I am capable of thinking with more than just my stomach you know"

"Uh huh" I scowled, mustering up the meanest glare I could "Then why haven't you solved the mystery behind my condition? What I _can_ do hmmm?". He frowned.

"The mutations in your body are of Vok origin, and I'm very close to discovering why they're there"

"Is it gonna take another four weeks? Come on Ranty, this should be child's play to you"

Tarantulas yellow visor narrowed dangerously "I have more important things that require more of my attention than you do…" as he spun on his heel and continued to work "such as Transmutate"

With a change in attitude, I sighed "How is she?"

"That's a little better; you should use that nice-girl attitude of yours more often, makes you more _pleasant_ "

" _How_ is she?"

" _She's_ fine". My eyes went wide, that had been the first time that Tarantulas had not mentioned Transmutate as an 'it'.

"That's all I needed to know…say, whatcha working on now?"

"…none of your business…" his tone certainly implying that it _was_ my business. I smirked and (since I was out of my cage, but on a leash) walked up behind him; I pulled on one his spider legs.

"Pwwwweeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaassse-"

"Fine!" he moved aside. I stared blankly at the screen. _Are those entries about me?!_

"Nehehe, do you even know what you're looking at?"

"That's the problem; I do" I drilled him with my meanest glare "Explain"

"Is your name Megatron-"

" _Explain_ " I growled menacingly.

"You are probably aware that we've documented your arrival"

"Yep"

"I surmised you were of some importance to the aliens-"

"Then why did you want to eat me!"

Tarantulas chuckled "What gave you that idea"

"The preparations you did during the first week…?"

"Don't be absurd. Where was I –ah yes" he clicked his mandibles and refocused on the entries "afterward, I had been documenting your behavior and have been on the lookout for anymore strange anomalies. Do you recall the appearance of a strange stasis pod?"

"Yes, we retrieved it while Megatron attacked our base…that day" I was sure to throw that in, to show I was on the same page.

"Indeed. I was there"

 _Wait…_ I turned red "You saw me eat that cake didn't you-?!"

"Ah ha!" _…I just got suckered…_ "Are you telling me you ingested whatever contents were in that pod?!"

"…I'm going back in my cage now…". Tarantulas grabbed my arm. "The heck man! Let go!"

"No"

"Unless you have something that can scan through my brain and find any missing pieces I can't help you!"

"Nehehe, good suggestion!". I gulped as he pulled me toward a slab with restraints (whilst he took off my leash), his visor narrowed to a slit. _Nopenopenopenopenope!_ My eyes snapped over to Transmutate, whom was heavily sedated from her latest, and last, surgery. _Oh Primus, he's really going through with this!_ I struggled against the binds, even though it was pointless.

I shut my eyes as the transmetal spider moved behind me. _Gotta buy time –this is the last straw!_

"Any snarky comments you'd like to make?"

"You're a hacker"

"A _superb_ hacker"

I groaned and shifted my gaze back to the entries. _He can't hack into my memories…I. Won't. Let. Him!_ I thought about all my family and friends from both universes. I was not going to give it all up to some perverse excuse of a spider. I shut my eyes even tighter as I thought about what part of me I could weaponize and use to escape, and get me and Transmutate to safety. I didn't care that I'd be revealing a very intriguing ability to Tarantulas for him to exploit whenever. But I did not care. Not when my memories were on the line. And trust me; those were all the motivation I needed to want to break out of Tarantulas laboratory. But first, I was going to break Tarantulas. _I gonna go all kinds of devil on his ass!_ With a dose of determination, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on a part of me that wasn't bound, that perhaps I could elongate it. Yes folks, I had every intention of growing a tail. And it was going to be glorious.

I could feel my tailbone grow longer, without the slightest care that it was going to put a hole through my faded blue PJ bottoms. It was a small sacrifice.

:"Tarantulas come in":

And that was for naught because that was when I was (indirectly) saved by the purple fossil, the spider then grumbled in agitation and -with a few clicks- reported back to his 'leader'. Insert air quotations. "What is it Megatron"

:"Impertinent arachnid, did you already forget about the energon disruptor ray?":

I heard a nervous clicking. "Forgive me! I've just been busy with other projects, I -uh- I'll be there right away!". I took that time to 'shrink' my tail. _And now I have a hole in my PJ's –great_

:"You better, otherwise I'll send Dinobot to _personally_ end our little contract": and just like that the line ended. I snickered as I heard Tarantulas make a mad dash around his lab, probably to save and secure his work. Once he was done with everything else, he hurried over to me, picked me up, and then tossed me back into my containment area. I scowled at his retreating form. "Stay put!" and with those parting words he left with a maniacal chuckle. _I had the chance to really hurt him earlier…drat, I shoulda taken it!_ I sighed as loud as I could, _oh well, time to get us outta here_.

* * *

Instead of re-growing my tailbone, I focused on making my forearm an axe (again). I only needed to chop off one of the bars, afterward I was able to simply slide through the gap. I hurried over to where Transmutate groggily recovered from her latest surgery, which was centered on her head. Not only was its shape altered, it was the processor that was the area of focus. I prayed Tarantulas hadn't inserted a 'brainwash' chip…yet. "Transmutate?" my arm morphed back into its regular shape, my friend stirred. "Cass…sie…?" it's not like she resorted back to broken speech out of will, she was still very groggy. So I helped her onto her feet. And that's where my eyes rested on the CR chamber. _Should I even suggest it? After all we've been through_

"How do I look?" she asked wryly. A big grin on her face, no doubt recovered from her surgery on such short notice. I admired her resilience.

"Like you could use a nap"

Red optics locked onto the CR chamber. Transmutate shook her head as if to dismiss something.

"Hey…can you still fly? Tarantulas hasn't tampered with your flight system has he?"

"No…no...its just that…is it wrong that I want to use it?"

 _I won't argue with you…_ Transmutate surely wanted to be like the other Transformers in the Beast Wars; she wanted to fit in, who could blame her with all the harassment she faced before our time in the laboratory. Not just because her structure was a 'nightmare' as Rhinox had put it (I still shivered with that memory) but because she didn't have a beast mode. Sure, I believed in the _'perfect just the way you are'_ ideology, however, since she had Tarantulas operate on her over our duration in the lab, she couldn't quite return to her 'old' self (not that it was her old self to begin with, but you get the idea) and she knew that, so she wanted to continue going the only direction she could…that being forward. I did not argue with her.

"Just…be quick okay? I'll keep an eye for Tarantulas". She smiled and took slow, eager (yet hesitant) steps toward the chamber. "Transmutate"

"Hmmm?"

"Pick whatever you truly want…because it will stick with you"

Red optics beamed and she smiled. "I will"

* * *

It was easier to keep track of time because there was a little Cybertronian clock sitting in the corner, and thanks to my time with the Maximals, I could read it. Transmutate had already taken quite a bit of time in the chamber, but that didn't bother me. The machine also seemed to be in the process of healing any impurities from her past surgeries. Roughly an hour or more had passed before someone (or some _ones_ ) entered Tarantulas's lair, and none of them were Tarantulas, from what I could have gathered from my acute hearing. I ducked down behind a stalagmite and listened intently on the two intruders.

"And you led me to this creepy cave because…?" that one was Trailblazer.

"Reasons, now shut up" and the other was…Rampage?

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the CR chamber's lid hissed open. And rather loudly, so with complete disregard of Transmutate's personal space, I bounded over there and seized her wrists. "What-"

I shushed her and pulled her behind the stalagmite with me.

"You heard that right? Right…?" Trailblazer trailed off as Rampage's steps seemed to become undetectable. _I got a bad feeling-_

"Eep!" we **both** squeaked once we found our feet leave the ground. Two red arms suspended us in mid-air.

"Is that who I think it is?!" Trailblazer jogged up and stopped three or so feet from Rampage, a dangerous distance for a Maximal. "'Course I don't know that other lady…"

Rampage hummed. "Cassandra, are you responsible for Transmutate's capture?"

"I didn't intentionally get us caught! Tarantulas pulled a fast one on us!"

Trailblazer just watched, unsure whether to grab us and run, or fight the Predacon crustacean. I hoped it was the former.

"Mmhmm" Green optics scanned the area "Where is she"

"You're holding her" Transmutate quipped, her soft voice barely heard. _Did Rampage not recognize her? I still do…_

Rampage went rigid, dropping us both out of shock. We shuffled backward with our backs to Trailblazer.

"Ehehehe, so ah, how did you know we were here?"

"…I…only heard mention of Transmutate…-"

"Did you know she looked this cute?" Trailblazer, with all his acrobatic ability, dodged Rampage's rocket. Me and Transmutate shook our heads.

"Okay, so you came looking for me but…"

"Why is Trailblazer here?"

The transmetal horse's head peeked around a massive stalactite. "I followed him"

"Why?" we asked simultaneously.

"We engaged while I was searching for wherever Tarantulas had absconded with you…" Rampage shot Trailblazer another _'I will shoot you'_ look "he wouldn't leave me be, especially when he thought _I_ had something to do with _your_ disappearance". He then shot me a dirty look.

"Oh well, **excuse** me! But who was the one who asked –no, _demanded_ me to relocate her?!"

Rampage frowned. I dusted myself off and stood, "By the way, I stayed with her like any good friend would" I huffed "You're _welcome_ "

"Wow, you two bicker like an old married couple-" Trailblazer dodged another rocket.

"Uhmm…"

We all turned our attention on Transmutate. "Perhaps we should move this somewhere else? Preferably _far away_ from this laboratory"

* * *

Me and Transmutate stuck close to Trailblazer to discourage Rampage from killing him, because we were not certain how long their truce was going to last. We guessed until we reached one of the cave's many exits.

"Care to explain how you got yourself and our friend captured". That's right, he still wanted an explanation. Crabby was not good at dropping things. I sighed as I mounted Trailblazer.

"We encountered Tarantulas on one of our supply runs, we tried to run –er, fly, but the sneaky arachnid injected Transmutate with a cyber-venom dart while we were still in the air…and well, things just went downhill from there"

"Please don't be mad at her" Transmutate tugged on his arm "I don't like watching you guys fight"

"I'm not mad" Rampage grumbled "I'm just disappointed". A feeling of relief spread through me, I did not show it.

"This is heart-warming and all, watching a married couple make up but we should really get going" Trailblazer shot a horse smirk at Rampage, so very like him to take advantage of our 'friendship'. I hoped to Primus he wouldn't gossip about it once we were at base.

Transmutate was hopping up and down on the balls of each foot. "Lead the way!" she transformed swiftly (the moment we were all waiting for) to reveal a transmetallized flying fox bat. It suited her. It suited her so well, I had to stifle an excited squeal.

"Onward!" we trotted forward, only to stop when we heard Transmutate whine.

"Rampage?"

The crab had a (gentle) grip on the bat's foot. "No"

And I could understand why. "You don't want her to join the Maximals do you?"

"Perceptive, as I should expect" Rampage let Transmutate go. The bat continued to fly in place.

"I don't want to continue hiding either"

"The Predacons aren't an option…are they?" Trailblazer added his two cents.

Transmutate's wing beats lulled us into a state of deep thought. I was glad we didn't do so in the cave, we likely would have been there until Tarantulas or any of the other Predacons showed up. It was like a custody battle all over again.

"You know what!" I clapped my palms together "I think Transmutate should decide!"

Rampage mumbled something unhappily under his breath. Ruby optics beamed in delight.

"I _have_ given it some thought and…"

Oh the suspense.

"…I want to join the Predacons"

Insert the crickets.

"I would be safer with the Maximals, but I don't think they'd really accept me…they did, after all, want to put me in stasis. I don't want to sit around at our hide-out and suck up resources either…" she sighed "And as much as the idea of being under the command of that awful slag-sucking saurian disgusts me-"

Rampage shot me a look. I pretended to be entranced by the sky.

"I want to protect Rampage"

Rampage jumped, flabbergasted. I suppressed a squeal, my hands trying to hold back another nose bleed. Trailblazer chuckled.

"Well then, stay safe. Really hoping I don't have to fight you in the future, but it's inevitable"

"I'll help you guys behind Megatron's back"

"That ah girl" Trailblazer stomped his hooves. Rampage visibly deflated, but in being the brave soul he was, he gestured for Transmutate to follow him.

"Come. We are burning daylight" and boy, he sounded sullen.

* * *

We went back to the cave to get my stuff, after that, we had to resume our dreaded journey to Mount St. Hilary. I grimaced once I heard the mechanical whines and scrapes as two massive doors creaked open. Strangely enough, there wasn't anyone around to scold and/or hug me to near death. The silence was a tad eerie as Trailblazer carried me deeper into the base. I figured he was personally escorting me to a surprise confrontation where all the Maximals and ex-Predacons were present. And with that dreadful thought I silently hoped that the Maximal horse would have brought me to my room, but I suppose that would have been too much to ask for, or perhaps wish for. I sighed when we reached the command center.

"By the Matrix!" Rhinox's heavy footsteps thudded across the room. My small hands gripped Trailblazer's chest armor and did not let go. the exception being when he carefully set me down.

"Where have you been, we've been worried sick!" it was a far cry from how calm the rhino normally was. Just a sure sign he cared for me, like any 'uncle' would. "I…" he took slow and steady breaths "I'm so glad you're unharmed". A massive hand rested on my head.

"Yeah, I'm peachy" I eyed Trailblazer nervously. _Please don't tell him…_

"Found her in Tarantulas lair, whatever he did, didn't ruin her pluckiness"

"She was…oh never mind, let me run some scans on you…" there were a few beeps "With your permission?"

I hesitated. I really did not want any more tests, but I dismissed my personal feelings, _this is Rhinox, not Tarantulas…you're in Mount St. Hilary not that creep-show of a laboratory…_ "Fine" the word that left my mouth was harsher than I intended it to be. When he was done, he walked over to where Trailblazer was patiently waiting. "After all this time…how did you find her?"

"It was all by chance 'Nox. Saw a cave and just had to explore" Trailblazer defended, like a pal.

Rhinox smirked and looked over to me. I anticipated a lecture, and a mean one too.

" _'Just around the base of the mountain_ ' you said…" or maybe a snarky rebuke "Whatever will we do with you?"

"I'm not going to be thrown in the brig am I, as a form of disciplinary action? Because I did **not** foresee Tarantulas capturing me"

"Don't worry" a third voice echoed. Heavy footsteps belonging to a massive metal gorilla strolled into the room "For now, we're just happy that your home"

"I don't know, she let herself get captured…"

"Shut up Trailblazer"

The ape chuckled as we began to bicker. And I was very grateful that he did so, that, and that I was let off the hook real easy. I did feel a ping of guilt though, Trailblazer probably did too.

"How are you feeling?" Rhinox patted my back. Rattrap took that as his time to enter the room. And boy, I got quite the welcome back. Meaning I got the wind knocked out of me as RatBoy jumped on me and squeezed me within every inch of my life.

"Ah man, I thought I'd nevah see those pretty little chocolate eyes again!" he squeezed me even tighter to the point where my _'pretty little chocolate eyes'_ nearly bulged out of my skull. Trailblazer snickered at my poor attempts of escape, and would have joined if he didn't know that it would kill me. More Beast Warriors filed into the room to see what all the commotion was about, only to add to the ruckus as they all gushed over me, except for maybe BA who respected my personal space. The she-spider smirked as a Transmetal-II Cheetor hugged me shortly after Rattrap relinquished his grip. After that, Silverbolt patted my head, ruffling my hair in brotherly affection while Trailblazer patted my back. Optimus and Rhinox stood on the sidelines and watched with humongous smiles, taking time out of their busy schedule to witness the joyous relief on their team's faces. Even Depth Charge poked his head in, the curious manta quickly getting absorbed into the reunion. And the funniest part, he entered at his own will, but only because he wanted to give me a ration of shit. Oh well, I accepted it and went on embarrassing him with childish retorts, all of which revolved around him having a ' _crush_ ' on me.

And then Dinobot came in the room. _Uh oh!_ I ran out of the room laughing, an infuriated Dinobot chasing after me just as I had finished making Depth Charge hide his face from everyone.

"Get back here so I can punt across the globe you **troublesome female**!"

Ah yes. Life was good.

I was surprised no one pointed out the evident hole in my PJ's.

* * *

 **Quick question:**

 **Did the CR chambers in the Beast Wars series also double as a method to get beast forms?**

 **If they didn't I apologize and will re-edit that part of the story. It's been a long while since I watched the beginning of the series...**


	17. Chapter 17

**-Look at previous chapter for disclaimer. =P**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Calm Before the Storm (Crossing the Rubicon)**

Poke. Poke. _Mmmhrrmmm go away_. There was more poking. _Okay, okay fine, damn you're persistent,_ I silently listed the top candidates who would poke me while I was asleep: Cheetor, Trailblazer and Rattrap. I slowly opened one eye and smiled at a smirking Rattrap.

"Rise 'n shine, _Sleepin' Beauty_ " the (ballsy) rat delivered a jab to my ribs. I squeaked and proceeded to beat him into a stupor with a pillow.

It had been a little over a month since I escaped from Tarantulas' lair, and Transmutate had joined the Preds. I hadn't heard much from her over that time, the only updates I ever got were from Rampage, and I only got those when I was out and about and looking for suspicious Pred activity. Typically when Rampage was skulking around it was something I'd report, but when I wanted to know Transmutate's wellbeing, I'd keep that radio holstered and listen. Yes, I almost got caught by Depth Charge when I decided to extend my time 'scouting' because I decided I wanted to idly chat with Crabby about other matters. Rampage was all too happy to make me appear to be a damsel, by chasing me through the forest in his version of 'Hide n' Seek'.

Now concerning Transmutate herself, she held her head high and scoffed at Megatron's attempts to degrade her, from what I had heard from one of Rampage's reports that wasn't a taunt or a riddle. And I didn't quite believe that she'd scoff out loud to Megatron's face. She was too smart for that, speaking of smarts, she also proved to be a damn good saboteur when it came to ruining Tarantulas's projects. None of them being the Nemesis sure, yet they still provided their own little advantages if they were to succeed. Best part was that Tarantulas had trouble finding out who was sneaking into his (secret) lair and doing so, and each time he did suspect Transmutate it's not like he could have reported to Megatron. His work was either too risky (as Rampage had put it) to share, or Megatron would have likely defended his new soldier despite being a total jerk to her.

Meanwhile, everyone had long since found out about my abilities granted by the Vok bio-enhancements. When you ask? Same night after Dinobot was done chasing me, and by done I mean he caught me (I didn't run fast enough, Forrest would not be proud), and remarked that my PJ's had a hole in them. And being the honest (when it was mandatory) person I was, I confessed, so we went straight to Rhinox where I told him everything. Since then I practiced every day, my new courses focused mainly on combat. I could morph my arms, legs, shoulders, and any part of my spine into various animal parts, tools, and weapons –as long as I could remember them. The whole downside to my condition was that I needed to consume more, because food didn't grant as much energy as it used to, and I couldn't over-extend my morphing –when I tried to grow wings I only got a 10 foot wingspan, and I was hungrier than Unicron by the time the (gliding) exercise was over. The proportions I could morph my limbs into were questionable, but obviously had a limit that we were trying to determine –Rhinox theorized one of my organs was converted into a mini sub-space generator that stored a surplus of an alien alloy…how it was able to reach my limbs and spine, we could only guess. As for my hunger, I had to satisfy it by more absurd means, such as energon. I had to take small doses of **energon**. I wouldn't complain though, after emptying the whole cup I would feel satisfied, and my mouth would tingle as if I had drank soda instead.

It was as if I was changing in pace to the other Beast Warriors, whom some had changed drastically since the Beast Wars started.

I took slow breaths and stretched while Rattrap wandered off to wake up someone else. Once I was done, I hurried after my friend, wondering whose room he was going to visit. After numerous hallways, we both stopped before a large door. Smiling, I turned to him and placed my index finger on my lips, and morphed parts of myself to look like a devil, just without the tail –I did not want to ruin the microfiber skirt I had on, my holed PJ's were back in my room and I never really had the courage to put them back on. With a mischievous nod, Rattrap quietly stepped to the left side of the door while I took position on the right. I rapped swiftly and loudly on the metal surface, and then waited. There were no footsteps, and I was dumbfounded to hear the door open and open wide. Seconds passed and we both waited before I, being the brave (and gullible) soul I was, decided to peek around the corner only to find nobody.

"Trailblazer?" I could see that the blankets on his berth were flat, and yet, I was still not satisfied. I just had to go in. I felt Rattrap tap my shoulder.

"Could be a trap ya know"

"Only one way to find out!" with a rather ridiculous battle cry, I charged in and did a somersault. I positioned myself swiftly so I was facing the door, only to find (gasp) that no one was there.

 _Damn, respect dude,_ I never pegged Trailblazer as the stealthy type, so imagine how impressed I was to find no trace of him being there. Defeated, I walked out of the room, not at all prepared for what came next.

"BAHAHAHAHAHA-!"

"AAAIIIIIIYEEEEEE!" I launched myself off the ground, rocketing maybe a good foot or two. On landing, I fell ungracefully on my posterior. I was always better at 'flying' than 'landing' anyway. Meh.

Trailblazer fell to the floor, his entire frame convulsing with laughter. "ahahAHAHA! That was-" he coughed and grunted, likely choking on his own intake "Too perfect!" And he wasn't the only one on the floor and laughing, my 'partner' was also delighted with the prank.

"I've _nevah_ heard 'er scream like _dat_!" Rattrap held his sides.

My face grew hot once I saw another Beast Warrior who seemed to enjoy the show. At the least, he wasn't laughing. He just tried not to laugh, though he had the _biggest_ smirk on his face.

"One of your jump-scare attempts backfire on you I presume?" Dinobot's smirk remained fixed.

"…yeah…" my milk-chocolate eyes moved over onto Rattrap, I expected an apology. He _smiled_.

"Gotcha"

 _Buffering…_

"Wait a minute, you tryna tell me…"

Trailblazer chortled/coughed "We got you _good_ ". I blinked, and then grinned.

"I suppose you did…" my grin got wider "but you two do know what this means right-ERK". Someone rammed into me, and sent my face straight to the floor.

"You're going to eat the floor?" Trailblazer deadpanned, and then erupted into more laughter.

"Oh sorry, you okay Cass" Cheetor helped me up. I winced.

"Care to explain why you _plowed_ into me"

"I heard a scream and came running" Cheetor shrugged, indifferent. I frowned.

"Run a little slower next time" I mumbled and rubbed my sore nose, which bled. I froze that way when I saw that another early riser had joined in on the fun.

"Did I miss the party?" Blackarachnia asked wryly. Her claws full of equipment and data pads. It was almost as if everyone saw a _unicorn_. No joke, we seldom saw BA since she engaged in the enigma that was her latest project. Even when we saw her, she wouldn't really engage in socialization willingly.

"Nah, it just got _started_ " I glomped Trailblazer as he tried to run away. "Who wants to play _'Pin The Tail On The Transmetal Horse_ '?!"

"NAHAHA GET HER OFF! GETEROFF _GETEROFF_!" Trailblazer was no match for my persistence "nahahAHAHAHAhWHOOHAHA STOP!"

"NEVER"

"HELP!"

Dinobot began to chuckle at our antics "You seem to be struggling, Equine". Trailblazer made for a grab, but I just slipped out of his grip and climbed on his back, which made him squawk.

"C'mon Blaze, she's hardly half your size-"

I glared at Cheetor as if to say 'you're next'. The cat backpedaled, and then ran for his life.

I grinned as I watched the Tabby retreat. I did not give chase; instead, feeling like I had done enough embarrassment to Trailblazer, I got off the horse and glanced over to BA. She looked to be anxious.

"We're in the way aren't we?"

She nodded.

"Ehehe, sorry" I pressed myself up against the wall. The transmetal horse doing the same so she could pass. Once the spider lady turned the corner, Dinobot strolled up to the spotlight.

"As fun as this was, we should all get to our respected posts. As in now"

With respectful nods, we headed to the command center.

* * *

It seemed like one of those days. Dinobot was on patrol, Depth Charge was out hunting, Rattrap was on monitor duty, BA went outside later in the day to run 'field experiments', Silverbolt disappeared, and Optimus was reading. In other words, it was a slow, sure day for resting and relaxation and no task we were given was too stressful and done within minutes. Cheetor (I swear it would take a while for me to get used to his change in appearance and attitude) joined in on our little Poker game hosted by Trailblazer, the holographic table still having room to spare for extra players. Rhinox eyed his cards with a thoughtful expression while Trailblazer harbored no expression at all. It was a tight game between the two veteran players –I couldn't help but think that the game would have been more suspenseful if we had Rattrap, but alas, he wanted to go tinker after his monitor shift ended. I looked over Cheetor's shoulder to observe his hand. I had lost early in the game because 1) I was new to Poker and 2) my Poker face sucked. I still enjoyed watching the game though.

I whistled "That's a nice deck you got there kid"

"Quit peeking!" Cheetor nudged me with his shoulder, a light scowl on his face.

"Cassie, don't be mean" Trailblazer said in a near monotone.

I smiled a smile that feigned innocence "Me? Mean? I'm offended!"

"You shouldn't be offended by the truth" Rhinox maintained his Poker face. Optimus snickered in the background.

"Gee Cass, embrace what you are" Trailblazer didn't even spare a glance. My face heated up and so I planted it firmly on the table.

"Savages"

"Speak up" Cheetor said tersely.

* * *

The day continued to go slow as the Poker game progressed, and the players came and went. And as you would guess me and Cheetor got bored stiff just being spectators so we went just outside the guard doors, and played the age-old child's game of tag. What? Shouldn't come as a surprise given how I had proven myself to be a 'woman-child' regularly. It was also an intense game of tag too, considering we were pros.

"Cheater!". Or cheaters, we'd often find some way of ensuring the other would have a difficult time of catching the other. Cheetor's frown could be seen from where I hid. Our little game of tag more like a game of hide and seek, me using the same tactics I had used on Rampage when he had chased me early in the month. One of them being when I would quietly sneak to a place Cheetor had already looked.

* * *

After a healthy half-hour more of heckling poor Cheetor, Optimus lumbered out. He took the time to observe our childish antics with a huge smile on his face (once Cheetor finally found me) for ten or so minutes before he waved us inside "Come on you two, you got work to do".

Cheetor was assigned to help Rattrap with repairing some equipment, while I was to explore the wilds in search of suspicious activity with two others, that one bot being extra help. Although scout groups typically were two people at the maximum, Optimus made an exception by assigning one more member to our little duo, because obvious reasons. Dinobot greeted us after we were briefed and thoroughly warned about Megatrons' silent activity. The boss monkey must have had my capture fresh in his mind, poor guy.

"You two ready?" Trailblazer nuzzled me. I nodded as I hoisted myself up onto the horse.

"Onward!" I promptly smacked the horse's transmetal rear. With a loud snort, Trailblazer trotted then cantered forward as I snickered loudly and Dinobot sighed. However, my smile faltered as I noticed Silverbolt as he soared over our heads, a small black and gold figure passed out in his arms.

* * *

It was dark once we decided to settle for the night, a fairly oppressive storm doing a mighty fine job of keeping us holed up. But, it's not as if we were going to be on edge, on the contrary, we were enjoying our story session hosted by Trailblazer.

"…and when he came home, he saw that all the lights were off…" which consisted of a plethora of cheesy horror stories that had us on the brink of falling asleep. We leaned in as Trailblazer continued with his idea of a scary telling. _Lame_ "…everything was quiet…-"

And Dinobot raised his raptor claw "Pardon me, but there are a variety of reasons why his sparkmate _wouldn't_ be home-"

Trailblazer smacked his head "Dinobot-"

"-She could be at some social event, visiting other loved ones-"

I suppressed my laughter; tears welled up in my eyes.

"Hey" Trailblazer laid his large hand on the raptor's shoulder "Save the questions for _after_ the story". Dinobot snarled and nodded reluctantly. "Anyway, where was I? Ah that's right, I was getting to the best part: So the bot decided to check upstairs to see if she was sleeping. But once he was in the room he saw the bed was _empty_ …"

I yawned.

"Shut up Cass. He continued to search his home, looking for his missing mate who was _supposed_ to be there that evening…" cobalt optics glanced at icy-blue (almost white) raptor eyes "but he couldn't find her, so he tried reaching her via their link. He. Got. Nothing…"

I tensed. _Hmmm…this has the potential to actually be scary_

" _'She just called hours ago'_ he told himself, figuring maybe she was playing a prank on him, which was normal, imagine his surprise when he hears this random scratching echoing through the house…"

"Did they have a pet-?" Dinobot quickly covered his snout with his claws. Trailblazer narrowed his cobalt orbs.

"…he went to go search for the source of the scratching, and eventually he found it, coming from the basement door. _'This has got to be her'_ he thought nervously to himself when he tried their link again, and that time, he got a response…"

We shuffled closer. "It was a heavy venting. At that point he was convinced it was her, so he snorted and threw open the basement door. Only to find **nothing** –and not only that, but the scratching _stopped_ the moment he did so-"

Thunder boomed and lightning crackled. And since we were both so absorbed into Trailblazer's story, it was no surprise when we both jumped and screamed in unison. Trailblazer tossed himself to the ground and started rolling with laughter. "By Primus, you two are easy! And I haven't even finished the story-!"

"Shut up Trailblazer!" I yelled whilst Dinobot proceeded to chase the horse-Maximal around the cave.

* * *

Trailblazer didn't continue his story in favor of just relaxing, tired from the laps around the cave. Dinobot too. I was lazily sprawled across a rock, the occasional shiver traveling up my spine. Yeah, we were bored. But come on, it was a cave , our only entertainment was each other. So after we could no longer tolerate the eerie quiet (with the exception of breathing), we made due with regular chatting.

"Hey Cass, do you miss your family" and it made for a very personal turn. It wasn't bad that he was that curious, it just shocked me that someone had asked. Since, no one ever really asked.

"Forgive me for being intrusive, but I'm curious as well" Dinobot lifted an eyelid.

 _I miss them so much,_ "Yes, not a day passes without me thinking of them. Sometimes I even wished they had somehow come with me through that anomaly. Is that selfish?"

"Considering how dangerous the Beast Wars-"

"Be quiet FossilFace"

"That's what I meant by 'selfish'…this war we're in is a new kind of danger, one I wouldn't want to drag my family in under any circumstances. Yet I still want to have them with me"

A large gunmetal grey hand rested on my shoulder "Nothing wrong with that"

Dinobot grumbled, but still nodded.

"So…when you say family, do you mean brothers, sisters, and parents? Or do you mean you have children-"

My eyes bulged.

"…and uh…a significant other…?" he saw my expression, yet he still had to drag the question. Dinobot entered a sniggering fit. I shot him a glance that challenged him to add _any_ input.

"Parents and siblings" I smacked my forehead "I can't see myself being a wife _or_ a mother-"

Dinobot guffawed. I chased him around the cave with an arm-sword.

* * *

The cave rumbled and loose sediments cascaded down onto our comfortable forms as the cave shook due to the extreme weather.

I sighed from where I was laid against the wall, very tired from chasing a very speedy raptor. We continued to wait out the storm, much to our dismay, no longer interested in discussing personal things and sharing horror stories. Everyone was just…relaxed. I chuckled as I heard the nuisance that was the weather rage on outside. "One would never know extreme weather till they're in an energon thunderstorm"

"You said it sister" Trailblazer cracked his knuckles as he slouched from his spot on a large slanted rock. However, that slouch morphed into a much more rigid posture. I told myself he was just trying to scare me, or perhaps the wall of the cave was slimy. That was not the case, not when Dinobot was clearly on edge. The raptor-former snarled and transformed to bot mode. I slowly, very slowly, walked over to Trailblazer as if I hadn't suspected a thing.

"Now whom do we have here" an unpleasant voice drawled "all bunched together in a small, _vulnerable_ place"

"One of two things can happen buddy; either you march your happy ass to the Pit, or I drag you there myself" Trailblazer's large hands shot out to my slow form as I was just about to reach him, and pulled gently. Once a safe distance from the intruder, I spun around to see a sneering Transmetal-II Dinobot. And to add to his imposing stance, lightning crackled angrily behind him. It was official, life hated me.

"How about _neither_ " Dinobot's clone lunged without warning. Or rather, a warning I didn't see as bright green lasers sent him tumbling out of the cave entrance. Original Dinobot certainly had killer reaction time.

"Cheap mockery of my existence" and killer taunting capability.

Once we awakened from our stupor, me and Trailblazer pulled out our weapons and took formation, Trailblazer and Dinobot in the front and I brought up the rear. I morphed one arm into a shield (the other, my dominant hand, aimed the blaster) as Dinobot-II came back, looking as pissed as ever "Fools, all of you".

"Ah _shut up_ " and thus began the smack-down. And while Trailblazer and Dinobot may have been roasting and pummeling him the majority of the fight, I certainly did not pass up the chance to get a few good shots in on the Transmetal raptor. We were not idiotic enough to think we could actually kill the vicious clone; yet it was not as if we could simply retreat out into the inclement weather outside. We were trapped, and had to make do with keeping him **away** from us until the storm passed-

"Incoming!" Trailblazer shouted as we all dodged a deadly optical laser.

And that proved to be a real pain.

"Eat this, abomination!" our Dinobot attempted to shove his sword through his clone's mouth, but that strike was parried and followed up with a countered attack. Luckily, he dodged it, very capable of holding his own against his upgraded double. But that didn't stop me as I aided him with my blaster, and while the clone was really distracted, I'd shield-bash him. It proved to do some damage, though the efforts merely did nothing against Dinobot-II's self regeneration. _Is that damn storm going to end or what?!_ I scowled at the transmetal raptor's smirk. My hand slowly reached for Plan C.

"I am no abomination, I am _evolution_ -"

"You're also fugly and soon-to-be headless"

"Headless-?"

I whipped a (cooked) grenade at him and everyone took cover as the explosive made direct contact with his face and detonated. With a pained snarl, or the gurgles of one anyway, the headless clone stumbled backwards. As the monstrosity's healing process commenced, we all looked past him in hopes that the storm had cleared up.

"It's clearing up" grabbing the opportunity and huddling us all into a little group, Dinobot just about shoved us out the cave. When he thought it was safe though (after running and dodging lightning bolts by the width of a hair), we all stopped below an arch and took the chance to slow our racing spark pulses and heartbeat –when instead, we should have kept running, or that's what my gut feeling told me.

"Everyone alright?"

"Yessir"

"Yeah, I'm good"

"Okay then let's –what the Pit?!"

At the edge of my peripheral vision a red light glowed malevolently from some dark corner. Dinobot-IIs' head was not fully regenerated, but his optical targeting was –and that added to his nightmarish appearance as he propped himself up on his shoulder and fired.

"Look out!"

We had no clue just who that laser was intended for. So I watched, _horrified_ as Trailblazer leaped into its path to take the brunt of the damage for Dinobot, and landed in a heap beside him. His chest was smoking and he was still as his cobalt optics flickered. "No!" I crouched down, eager to fix him, too bad the damage was too severe for a simple field kit to fix. I wanted to check his sparks condition, but not when it was still raining. Sure we were under an arch; however, it only offered so much protection. Raindrops still hit us because of the gusts of wind.

"Trailblazer…" I gently smacked each side of his head; he was responsive, but fading.

"He's strong, just guard him while I-" Dinobot snarled "deal with this _fake_ " although he tried for a positive tone, I was heartbroken, and scared.

"It appears my remaining enemies consist of my obsolete predecessor and the helpless _little_ female" Dinobot-II lumbered toward us, a grin formed as his jaw was repaired. _You will PAY!_

"Unless you wish to prove me wrong…-"

"Gladly!" with caution to the wind, I charged our larger -and unquestionably stronger- adversary, _eager_ to inflict all sorts of pain. It was foolish, but I kept at him, remembering the sparring sessions with Trailblazer and sometimes _our_ Dinobot. _Aim for weak points and stay mobile,_ I dodged and slashed at him with my arm-sword and arm-shield (holstering the blaster before I did any of that).

"You're more than welcome to join!"

"I told you to-!"

"Cover him with something and HELP ME!"

With a nod, Dinobot pulled out what appeared to be a tarp, and covered Trailblazer. As he did so, I jumped onto his clone and clambered onto his back.

"Such sweet Maximal nonsense" he made a swipe for my leg. I whacked him.

"Shut your ugly mouth or I'll shove another grenade in it!" I made a grab for his eye, but he threw me onto the ground. I hissed in pain as his foot trapped me. _Damn it –and I think I got a concussion too!_ I groaned and tried to wriggle free.

"Like I said: Nonsense-EAAARGH!" his foot did not let off even as Dinobot hit him with his lasers.

"GET OFF HER DEMON!"

"MAKE ME WEAKLING!"

Dinobot stayed his ground. I swallowed the lump in my throat. _He can hold his own…but for how long…_ I wriggled some more as Dinobot-II released a laser in Dinobot's direction, which thankfully _missed_. Not that hitting him was his intention, no; it was more of a distraction. And an effective one at that as the original Dinobot was still pushing himself off the ground as his clone advanced on him. The clone's progress was hindered once I latched onto his leg and proceeded to stab him manically, _nopenopenopenopenopenopenope you STAY AWAY FROM HIM!_ My effort was a fruitless one as he just kicked me away. "Down girl" he sneered as he resumed walking, not expressing an interest in his foe in front of him, instead, he headed straight toward Trailblazer. Dinobot gave chase, though it was clear that he wouldn't make it in time. My mind shut down as the Transmetal double raised his clawed hand-

"Now you die-GRAAAH!"

Only to kick back into gear once a familiar pink energy beam knocked the deranged clone straight into an earthy wall. _Hallelujah,_ a few tears were shed upon seeing Transmutate descend in bat form. I had no shame in showing my tears as she flew in place and pretended to be concerned with what happened to Dinobot-II. It was clear that she had traveled with him, for whatever reason.

"Oh sorry! I missed!" she apologized "I'm still working on my aim!"

Dinobot-II looked infuriated. "Just _who_ were you aiming for?!" the Transmetal-II raptor-former seemed to forget all about Trailblazer as he and Transmutate argued.

"The other Dinobot of course!"

"Oh really?! Are you incompetent or did you just _deliberately_ shoot me!"

"I did not! He was right behind you! Quit being mean!"

"Quit being an _idiot_!"

Dinobot slowly circled around the clone (who had taken aggressive steps toward the Predacons new addition) whilst I went to join Trailblazer, whose optics were still on.

"Seriously, you and Megatron have no faith in me!"

"For obvious reasons! UUUGGGHH I CAN'T BELIEVE I AGREED TO TAKE YOU ON THIS HUNT!" Dinobot's clone grasped both sides of his head.

"That's your own fault, you could have said no-!" the bat-girl shrieked as she barely dodged an optical laser. At that point, original Dinobot was within striking distance to his clone. I decided to be the last distraction.

"Hey!" I waved my arms, Dinobot-II scowled at me, "Whatever happened to that smug attitude of yours?! Did eating a mouthful of rock humble you O Mister Evolution Sir?!"

He didn't get to manage a retort before his predecessor tackled him and delivered a mean series of kicks and punches in a consecutive manner that with each step got both the bots closer to an edge that was conveniently located nearby. With two final kicks to the abdomen and face, Dinobot blasted Dinobot-II with his optical lasers. And thus, we saw no more of the transmetallized FossilFace.

I crouched beside Trailblazer. I wanted to congratulate Dinobot and cheer 'go team'; however, I had a badly injured Trailblazer in front of me that was no cause for a celebration. Transmutate landed close to me, tempted to comfort me, yet had to abandon ship once Dinobot shot her a suspicious glare. As she backed up, unsure what to do, my eyes locked onto hers and they did all the talking.

 _Go, it's fine…_

She flew back over to where we last saw Dinobot-II, playing the part of a concerned team-member. I continued to sulk over Trailblazer as he vented softly. _Please don't die…_

"The storm appears to have dispersed significantly; I'll send out a distress signal"

I gave a slow nod and a happy smile. "Thanks Dino-" my voice caught in my throat once I saw a large intimidating shadow behind my friend that I did **not** expect to be there. No warning could be given as it would have proven to be too late; Dinobot was swatted to the side my Megatron's tail cannon.

I wasn't at all prepared as a large brown servo came down somewhere near my shoulder and sent me straight into unconsciousness.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers: Beast Wars. I only own my OC's and head-canons**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: the Darksyde**

" _Such a curious little creature…" I heard a strange voice echo. I couldn't see anything but an inky darkness. I tried to open my eyes, I was not successful._

" _Indeed, she's appears to be of a primitive carbon-based species, yet, she has accomplished a scientific feat coming here, as if she just materialized right in front of us"_

" _Could she be a threat?"_

 _It amazed me how I could understand the language of the voices, who, despite sounding unearthly, seemed to speak perfect English. "I doubt it, she's small, no natural weapons, and her only armor seems to be this strange attire and whatever this loose cloth is"_

" _I was not referring to her physical capability" one of the voices 'hummed' and shortly after, I heard an overwhelmingly obnoxious droning noise. If I could have felt pain, I'm sure it would have made my ears bleed, all the more reason that led me to believe that I was dreaming._

" _Fascinating"_

" _Curious"_

" _Strange" the annoying sound ceased._

" _What do you suggest we do with her Elder?" the 'youngest' inquired. He sounded familiar; though considering the state I was in, my brain refused to process the voice fully. Yep, it was definitely a lucid dream._

 _There was a lengthy pause, a pause that unnerved me. "I have a plan in mind…" I heard a buzz and a pop, as if something or some things had been teleported beside me. "It is a delicate procedure; the utmost care is strongly advised"_

" _What are your intentions?"_

" _She will be sent to Nexus Earth, to be a vessel for one of us"_

" _Why?"_

" _So that one of us may find_ another _host" the least chatty of the group explained._

" _How so?"_

 _There was a sigh, and then, a chuckle. "To draw the least possible attention, we will send a contraption similar to what the mechanical nuisances refer to as a stasis pod, but, we will do so sometime after the female makes contact"_

" _Alright…what will happen from there?"_

" _From there, we will intervene; stop the meddling"_

 _There was a pause. "…which one of us will go then…?"_

" _Why, we reserve that honor for you young one, to be our…Enforcer"_

* * *

As my dream seemed to progress toward something interesting, I found my conscious mind awakening. As I breathed in hot air I gasped, and in doing so I had a coughing fit, my eyes watered as they shot wide open.

I instantly noted that in conjunction with the hot fumes I breathed in that it was also smoldering hot where I was lying down, like a seal, on the metal floor. I rubbed my temples, my eyes scanning all the angles of where I currently was. I frowned.

I was in a cage.

A. _Freaking_. _**Cage**_.

Memories came flooding back to me; they did not make me feel any better about the predicament I was in. _That sneaky purple-faced fossil karate chopped my damn shoulder…_ I rubbed the supposed sore spot, scolding myself quietly when it proved to be still very sore. _Grape-Faced son-of-a-_ all my thoughts halted as soon as I spotted another cage. And it was occupied. _Nonononononononono_ I crawled on my knees toward the other end of the cage. "FossilFace?" no response "…Dinobot…-?"

"You are awake". It was more of a statement than a question. Grumbling, I crawled over to the front of the cage, careful not to look down into the lava, to address the Predacon guarding my prison. Not that he really needed to be there, he was probably just a messenger, eager to share Megatron's taunts with me.

"The Royalty wishes to speak with you" Inferno activated his hover-system, levitating over to unlock the cage.

Or maybe, he was to be my escort. Goodie. I sighed and shuffled over toward his outstretched arm, quick to notice that one of his eyes was (still) cracked. Once positioned on his shoulder, as if I was a sack of parts, I decided to strike a conversation.

"You should really get that optic fixed"

"I will"

I grinned as we entered a lava-flooded hallway, "You should really get it fixed _soon_ is what I meant"

Inferno growled something under his breath, I didn't catch it. "I don't wish to explain myself to an enemy of the Colony" that I caught. I rolled my eyes.

"Relax; I just wanted a friendly chat, not a detailed discussion on your thoughts, feelings, and aspirations"

"Be quiet" he rasped out, not amused in the slightest. I decided to push him just a _little_ more.

"Is that an order? Can you even give orders-?" I yelped when Inferno seemed to undergo some 'turbulence', I barely saved myself from sliding off and plummeting into the molten river below. After dangling there helplessly for a few seconds too long, Inferno hoisted me back onto his shoulder. His gleeful look not getting past my attention, I mentally cursed my stupidity at the realization that just because the fire-ant likely had orders to not kill me didn't mean that the bugger couldn't get creative. _I'll behave now…_

"Well played Inferno, well played" yes, I was shaking a little.

* * *

I kept quiet all the way to the Darksyde's main control room. Upon arrival, I noted _all_ the Predacons were present, my face heated with humiliation as Transmutate covered her mouth and Rampage stared at me with great indifference –that I was all too aware was really deep disappointment. _Sorry guys, guess I'm capture prone,_ I didn't even want to look at Dinobot-II, my mind already conjuring his self-satisfied smirk and Trailblazer's prone form. Tarantulas was next to Quickstrike, both arachnids chuckling and chatting amongst themselves, _leering_ at me. Waspinator studied me thoughtfully, a hint of sympathy in there. I down-casted my eyes once Inferno landed in front of a hover chair. _I'm sure the tyrant wouldn't mind talking to my ass for the entirety of this meeting_

"Inferno, you may put her down"

"Yes, My Queen"

 _Or not,_ I was lowered gently onto the floor, or what was left of one. I wobbled a little on my feet, my back still to the Transmetal tyrannosaurus. _Get yourself together, don't be a coward-_ in the time it took me to gather my pride; Inferno grasped my shoulders and jerked me around to face his leader. Pink optics smiled at me.

"Why hello, my dear"

I casted my eyes to the side, and crossed my arms. "Awfully friendly for someone who wants me dead"

"Snarky, as always"

"What do you want"

Megatron chuckled "Right down to business, I _could_ learn to like you, yesss"

I kept my blank stare.

He cleared his throat and glanced over to Tarantulas, the jerk of his head a clear indication for the spider to get his conniving butt over there. With a gulp, the Tripedicus Agent piloted his hover unit closer to his 'leader', a data-pad in hand. "It has come to my attention that you may have ties to the aliens" Megatron gazed over at Tarantulas. Who nodded and tapped his screen.

"Wouldn't that give you even more of an excuse to execute me?" I challenged, my eyes boring into Tarantulas "You despise the aliens don't you?"

"On the contrary" Megatron activated his turbo-fans and hovered over toward me. The ground shook as he landed not even a foot in front of me. I heard Inferno take polite steps backward. _Oh my, you are a big fella,_ I had to crane my neck to look into the tyrant's optics. Have I ever mentioned that I'm only 5' 1''? "I seek to use whatever the aliens send to this Primus forsaken mudball. Do you remember the ship all those megacycles ago?"

"Oh, you mean when you tried to eliminate the Maximals for good? How did that work out –ERK!" a large brown servo lifted me off the ground via neck. Imagine how pleasant that felt.

"I do not appreciate your impertinence girl, if anything; I would love nothing more than to leave you at Dinobot's mercy"

"Which one?"

Megatron scowled and released me (yes, I landed on my butt), floating back to his favorite chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose, a small smile slowly gracing his (stupid) purple face. "You know, you should thank Tarantulas for-" he 'coughed' "- _sharing_ his findings with me…"

 _Yeah, after he probably got butt-hurt over me escaping, using your resources to find me again_

"Otherwise, Dinobot would have been out in that storm for a _real_ hunt" Megatron shot me a wicked grin. And because that was not enough, I just had to look over to Dinobot-II. Whose grin was even worse, _Oh great, I'm not sleeping tonight_. To break my uneasiness I sighed and stretched, popping my back. That earned a few concerned and disgusted glances. I smiled.

"Ah, that felt good"

"Are you listening?!" and just like that, the tyrant's temper was wearing thin.

"Yesss" I said dryly, gazing over to Tarantulas (and taking a mental note of Megatron's reaction as I mocked him) " _thank you_ Tarantulas" my tone oozing sarcasm. I only got a twitch of the mandibles, and I was sure he muttered ' _witch_ ' while he was at it. "Are we done here? Can I go back to my cage and contemplate escape now?" _and perhaps break poor Dinobutt out_

Megatron grinned. "Not yet, noo. Not until you show me what the aliens have granted you". I winced and my eyes locked again, with Tarantulas. _You sly little-_

"What if I say ' _no_ '. Will you simply kill me? Feed me to that Dinobot knock-off?" I heard a faint snarl. Megatron shrugged and examined his fingers.

"You love making things hard for yourself don't you?"

"Yeah, adds some excitement to my life"

Pink optics glowed at that. "Oh _really_? You want _excitement_ …" he shifted his focus onto Dinobot-II, the two nodding after a brief moment of silent agreement. With a sadistic grin, the Transmetal-II raptor nabbed Transmutate from her spot next to Rampage. I watched, angry, as the clone tapped his dagger-sharp claws right on top of Transmutates' throat, effortlessly keeping Rampage at bay by compressing his own spark.

"You…you wouldn't…"

Megatron leaned, "Oh…I would"

"She's…she's worth more to you than I am! You wouldn't kill her" I said with confidence, however, my eyes did not leave my two friends as one whimpered and the other convulsed on the floor.

"Who said I'd have her spark snuffed? Noo, I just want to make a point. Dinobot?"

The trans-raptor moved his razor sharp claws to each of Transmutate's shoulders and squeezed. _Beast Wars just got demented as hell…_ I gaped as the bat-girl's shrieks blended with Rampage's snarls and cries of agony. No, I just couldn't do it.

"Stop" I made sure I was heard. Even if I did not yell, I found I did not need to. Megatron raised his palm; Dinobot-II released Transmutate and stopped abusing his own spark. All was quiet, then:

"We're waiting"

With no more delay, I morphed my arm into a wicked looking sword. Everyone (except Rampage) tensed.

Inferno eyed me with sheer horror.

"What'n tarnation?!" Quickstrike almost fell off his hover-craft.

"Female flezzshy-bot not so flezzshy!" Waspinator gulped and flew behind Quickstrike.

"Remarkable" _screw you Tarantulas_

"She _almost_ looks threatening" _FRAG OFF DINOBOT_

"Yesss, yesss show me more!" Megatron tapped his digits together in anticipation. Apparently morphing a sword wasn't enough to satisfy him. Then again, nothing is ever enough to satisfy the tyrant. _Just like G1 Megsy –or every Megsy across the multiverse_

With a sigh and a frown, I morphed my other arm into a battle axe. I was ashamed really; to be some form of entertainment while my friends had suffered mere moments before. So when Megatron ordered I do another, I smiled and morphed the middle finger on my left hand into an elongated claw-like appendage. Megatron was not amused, but he got the message.

"I suppose we are done here" he yawned, _jackass_ "Inferno, bring our new _ally_ to her room". I would have been thankful at the idea I got an actual room over a cage over a smelting pit of lava, however, I was still bitter about happened to Transmutate and even Rampage. Then I remembered Dinobot, unconscious in his own little prison. Actually, I was just bitter about the whole situation I was in.

* * *

I was not surprised when Inferno (carefully) placed me in the room and ran out. Tarantulas came just so he could rig the door so it would only open by outside access. A gave him the double-bird before he left. Not that it did anything, in fact, it only made him laugh. Because he knew that -room or no room- I was still a prisoner.

I sat in that room, bored out of my mind for perhaps an hour before a knocking drew me back into reality. "Come in?" I was surprised and a tad confused that a Predacon would knock. They could have accessed my room for any reason and not need to perform such a courtesy. So, I waited to see who would open that door. And they did so rather timidly. My eyes narrowed with keen interest to see that it was Waspinator. The wasp cautiously shuffled into the room, carrying a tray of water and a loaf of bread. I was grateful, though normal food didn't give as much energy as my doses of energon.

"Waspinator bring food" he mumbled plainly, doing his absolute best to not look me in the eye.

"You don't have to be scared of me, I don't bite" I smiled with genuine warmth.

"Female fleshy-bot caused Wazzsspinator all sorts of grief"

I couldn't argue with that. I guiltily took the tray from his hands "Oh right, still, thank you very much…and uh, sorry". Waspinator stiffened, his bug eyes growing a smidgen wider.

"Female fleshy-bot, is _sorry_?"

"Yep, it's not just a half-assed apology either" I smirked and placed my hand on his shoulder. He paid no attention to it "I truly am sorry, for adding to your troubles even though the whole universe hates you"

Twitch.

Twitch.

 **GLOMP**

"Eep!" I staggered backward as I was hugged by a sniffling Waspinator.

"You understand Wasszzpinators' troubles!" I was squeezed tighter, I did not mind. His hugs were nowhere near as crushing as Trailblazer's. _Trailblazer…_ I ripped myself from Waspinator's grip so that I could face him, the direness of my question _demanded_ that I made eye contact.

"Waspinator" _I can't believe I didn't bitch out Dinobot-II and Megatron about this!_ "I know you guys have Dinobot, the original one, but do you have Trailblazer too?!" I needed to know if he was alive, if not, at least where his body was. Waspinator flinched under my intense gaze.

"Horssze-bot?"

My glare deepened.

"Megatron didn't bring Horssze-bot with him"

I shuffled morosely to the far corner of the room, stuffing the bread into my mouth, _that's not saying much, he could still be alive,_ I nibbled, oblivious to Waspinator he stared, and then dove out of the room and locked the door ASAP, a wise move on his part. _Just all alone with nothing but a tarp protecting him…I wonder if he has the tenacity to crawl all the way to the Ark_

I would often ponder why the Transmetal horse had come in to the Beast Wars, where it shouldn't have even been possible. Never stopped me from loving him to death though, his very presence had a calming aura to it, a natural one. Regardless of our brother-sister bond I also couldn't have helped but have felt a stronger connection, as if he was a _part_ of me, mixed with something else, but still a part of me mind you. I stared dully at the floor, wishing for previous events to play out differently. I knew better.

 _He's still alive, he's gotta be…_

I heard a knock at the door. "Cassie?" Transmutate sounded exhausted, and hurt. No surprise there.

All my sad thoughts and malicious intents toward Megatron and that blasted clone lifted significantly as I ambled toward the door. I thanked the Matrix the room wasn't sound proof.

"I'd ask _'how are you_ ' but that would be an asinine question wouldn't it?"

Transmutate tittered "Shoulder damage isn't so bad"

"You sound traumatized"

"…yeah, though it's mainly from hearing Rampage's distress"

I sighed. "I…I really am sorry. _I_ encouraged Megatron"

" _Un_ intentionally"

"You guys still got hurt"

"…still, please don't beat yourself up over us"

Such a thing was hard to do when one had a guilty soul, though I hadn't had the nerve to tell her that. "Okay…"

"Promise?"

"Sure"

"Cassie"

I groaned. "I promise" once I made one of those, it was impossible to break it. "Transmutate?"

"Hmm?"

"What will Megatron do to the original Dinobot?" it should have been obvious, I had to ask anyway. "…and…I already asked Waspinator if Megatron brought anymore prisoners but, did you see what happened to Trailblazer?"

I gave her a minute or so. "I've heard that he's given Tarantulas permission to reformat him into a mindless drone…" I banged my head against the door. "What was that?!"

"Nothing, keep going" my head throbbed.

"However, he wants to keep him in his cage, to uh _'have him reconsider his allegiance'_ "

"For about the third time" I mused.

"As for Trailblazer, he was gone when me and ScissorFingers did another sweep of the area"

My heart clenched. "Gone as in…"

"No! Oh Primus no, I wasn't referring to that kind of gone!"

 _Wait –what?!_ "He…moved?!" _there is hope!_

"You sound surprised!"

 _She came at the last minute like a Deus Ex Machina, she didn't see what really happened to him,_ "I am…" a small weight left my chest "I'm, so relieved…hope he called for help once the storm cleared…ehehe" and I slumped against the door.

"Cassie?!"

"I'll live, just need to lie down"

"If this door didn't separate us I'd kick your butt" the bat-girl huffed. I sniggered and nibbled on my meal.

"You don't have the access code?"

"No, and neither does Rampage"

"Great, so everybody who isn't my friend can just waltz in here and harass me –actually, Waspinator is an exception, he gave me food" my teeth sunk into the bread like a voracious beast "And he's not as much of an ass-hat"

"Speaking of _'ass-hat'_ , next time you see Rampage you might want to run the other way"

"Why?"

"He's been keeping record of all the times I've swore, and guess who he's blaming"

I smirked. "He wants to kick my ass doesn't he?"

"Yes, he said and I quote _'I'll kick her into the outer atmosphere of this planet'_ " she sounded as if she were stifling a laugh.

"It's only fair; I want to kick his ass too"

She snorted, the closest to losing her composure that I could get her. Darn. "For what reason?"

"Not reason…rea _sons_ "

"Shall I arrange the play-date?"

"Go for it" I popped the last bit of bread into my mouth "Just be sure it's _after_ I get outta here"

"Yes ma'am-" I heard her squeak as her comm. unit crackled to life.

:"Transmutate, where are you?":

It was Megatron. _Speaking of kicking ass…_

"I was meandering the hallways, Lord Megatron"

:"Well _stop_ meandering and report back to the command center, I have a job for you": the transmission dropped. Both of us released a deep, sad sigh.

"I need to go, take care of yourself okay?"

"I'll try, no promises though"

With a defeated snort, Transmutate left, her footfalls getting ever so more distant.

After some time, I was alone. Again.

* * *

I was tempted to exercise the strength of my enhancements on the door, to devise an escape and rescue Dinobot, however, I was no fool. Negative factors kept piling into each and every plan I could think of, the terrain surrounding the Darksyde and the risk of moving an injured Dinobot being the constants, so eventually logic won over pride and I made due with sitting on the floor. My eyes bored into the drab metal wall in front of me, it wasn't in sadness or anger, such feelings did not reside in me. Instead, I was hopeful, with not only the idea that we had plenty of time to be rescued before the original Dinobot was converted into a mindless drone, but the chance that Trailblazer was still alive.

 _All he needs to do is reach Mt. Saint Hilary…_


	19. Chapter 19

**Rub those eyes all you want, I can assure you this is not a dream! The 19th installment of 'Surviving the Beast Wars' is here and ready for reading...two new stories and many days of re-editing other stories later...XD**

 **To those of you who have waited for this, you're patience is godly. Thank You and Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own Transformers/Beast Wars.**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Master Blaster**

" _This is odd" an unearthly voice echoed softly. The tone itself was soothing, but the realization that I was having another one of_ those _dreams flung me into great unease, especially since I still hadn't the vaguest clue as to the meaning of it. So, being a good little lucid dreamer, I paid close attention and silently prayed that I didn't wake up before any vital hints were dropped._

" _What is it Elder?" the youngest of the trio (from what I gathered the last time I was in the pitch black dreamscape, he was addressed as 'Enforcer') asked eagerly._

" _I have run her soul through a few more thorough scans, to ensure her purity for the upcoming fusion…"_

" _And…?"_

" _She's…pure, with some faults, but the overall frequency radiating from her seems in sync with our own"_

 _Insert baffled face here._

" _But that makes her even more of a worthy candidate, right?"_

 _There was a deep, pensive hum. I could almost sense the Elder's anxiousness. "Perhaps, but for caution's sake, I will also take samples from the other two subjects"_

 _Things were surely getting interesting, as if I was getting close to just why I was ever brought into the Beast Wars. However, my subconscious -and perhaps the universe- decided that it had unveiled enough touchy details, and so, I slipped away…_

* * *

Pouting, I continued to work on repairing a hover-sled's ignition circuit, the memory of that dream making me work with frustrated vigor.

It had been three days since me and Dinobot were captured. And Trailblazer left for scrap, any hope I had for my poor 'older brother' was balancing precariously on what I had heard from Transmutate, and the cold-hard reality that he was no longer part of the land of the living… _but_ I digress. Back on topic, Megatron was still keeping Dinobot in that cage above the lava pits. Seemingly not keeping to his word on having Dinobots' allegiance code reprogrammed, Megatron would instead have me escorted to see the raptor-bot.

And as much as I loved to see my good friend still with independent functioning, I really hated how Megsy would gloat for the allowed duration of the visit (that being only a few minutes), and then it was straight back to work, me and the raptor-bot not really having the chance of a decent chat.

Speaking of good ol' labor, aside from their regular assigned duties, the Predacons also occupied their time with a fairly interesting project. I was uncertain as to what it was at the time, but it was a demanding one. Anytime I wanted to help, either because of nosiness or because I really wanted to expand my knowledge on machines, they would ignore me, or chase me off with meager threats (with the exception of a soft-sparked Waspinator, and an alarmingly quiet Rampage). Not that they intimidated me, I just tried to get my answers from another source. Unfortunately, they would chase away Transmutate too. The both of us assigned either clean-up duty or light maintenance projects while they were busy, such as the one we were doing at the moment.

"If your leer gets any stronger, you'll fry the circuit even more" Transmutate chuckled while she watched me work, and despite my foul mood (that hadn't changed since being captured), I managed a smile.

"If I start melting things just by staring at them, do me a favor, find me a pair of sunglasses and call Charles Xavier"

Even knowing that she very (very) likely wouldn't get the reference, I couldn't help myself. I snickered when she cocked her head like a bemused dog. "Who?"

"I'll uh…I'll tell you once I'm done"

* * *

It had reached that time of day where the Predacons had earned themselves a reprieve from the strenuous project they had been pouring their energon, coolant, and sparks into. Apparently, from what I heard from a cackling Tarantulas, he just needed two bots to help him perform some of the more grueling finishing touches (torque some bolts, add some plating, yada yada). And since my temporary compatriots wanted to make the most of their free time before they got back to work, I had to take extra care of walking through the hallways of an over-sized oven they called a ship, careful to not collide with any of the smaller bots as they zipped about, going about at their leisure, or run into the knees of the much taller Cybertronians as they did the same.

 **SMACK.**

"Owie!" yet, my caution was in vain, because I was just that accident prone. Holding my nose, I looked up into the amused twinkle of green optics. _Seriously, how can someone so big be so quiet! Or maybe I'm just daftly clumsy…_

"You should be more careful, you might break that pretty nose of yours" Rampages' silver horn-fins twitched on both sides of his head, a clear indication of his 'smirk' –provided if he had a proper mouth. A big red hand extended toward me, because yes, I fell on my butt.

Gracious, but wary, I grasped his hand. And with no effort poured in whatsoever, the crustacean Predacon pulled me to my feet, my balance catching just in time to NOT smack my face into his knee…again. "Considering how careful I am now, a broken nose is the least of my worries"

"It could be worse, you could be Waspinator" he drawled, each word progressively emphasized with the same chuckle, the sound proving contagious as I began to snicker myself.

"No argument here, say, how is the bug?"

Emerald optics regarded me indifferently "Why would you like to know –oh…are you getting _attached_?" he scoffed with faux surprise. I narrowed my eyes, but kept my smile.

"What? The more friends I have in this fluster-cuck of a war, the better"

"…'fluster-cuck'…?". I gave him a moment to process it. Rampage was no dummy. Green optics dimmed slightly, and optic ridges dropped, "Oh".

"Hey, when I got a crabby friend that threatens to wring my neck every time I cuss, well, I gotta get creative"

"I only get upset when you run that foul mouth of yours near Transmutate" he crossed his arms smugly, "but…I appreciate the sentiment, language like that shouldn't come from such a lovely little thing such as yourself". My expression went flat as I spun on my heel, muttering incoherent nothings as I walked away, intent on finding Transmutate again before I fainted from the notion that _Rampage_ may have possibly flirted with me. Sure, it wasn't so different from all the other times we've interacted over the course of the Beast Wars, but that still didn't stop my face from going flush.

 _Damn Crab-Cakes always ruffling my feathers,_ to my horror, tiny silver-grey feather stumps emerged from my forearm, disappearing as fast as they came as I willed them away. I shivered, _so glad no one was around to see that…_

As I wandered the ship, I found that I couldn't address my girl problems with Transmutate in time before my ankle-bracelet sent a small shock in conjunction with my comm. unit going off. Megatrons' voice resonated out from the device.

:"Cassandra, report to the command center immediately":

"Wh-"

:" _Immediately_ ":

Once the transmission ended, I grimaced, my feet on auto-pilot as I headed to the command center. _Could've been worse…he could've been angry…_

* * *

It was entertaining really, to hear a good chunk of the Predacons whine about who was the best candidate to pilot what looked like a miniature, cheap knock-off of Optimus, minus the head. After a few minutes of bickering between Inferno, Quickstrike, and Waspinator, it was ultimately decided by Megatron and _Tarantulas_ that Quickstrike was the better option. And once they did so, a bad feeling situated itself into my gut. Probably to do with the fact that the machine's purpose was not known to me or Transmutate, and also since it was soon revealed that it was actually of Tarantulas' design, the spider looking very smug as he examined his handiwork, content that it wasn't sabotaged early in its development by a certain bat-girl.

Said bat-girl looked incredibly distraught at the idea that Megatron, and all the other Predacons (save for Rampage) somehow had the mind to specifically keep _her_ from it, her thoughts very likely echoed my own:

 _Do they know?_

* * *

I was feeling faint, the heat from the hostile environment around me encouraging my drowsiness as we all traversed the charred landscape together. No one was permitted to stay at the base, Megatron placing a questionable amount of trust into his own ships defense system as he ordered us to accompany him to Mount St. Hilary. The apparent ' _End of the Maximals_ ' so near to him that he could, quote on quote, ' _Taste it_ ', the mega-maniacal t-rex's bellowing laughter mirrored by the support of his lackeys. The only ones not laughing being myself and Transmutate, though Rampage's laugh could be best described as a depraved snicker. Oh yeah, if there was one thing the crab Predacon and Megatron could agree upon, it would be making the Maximals suffer.

Much, much later, while we were within a mile of the Maximal base, and I had an infernal headache, consciousness itself hard to maintain as I constantly found myself swaying, struggling to keep up with everyone else. Dinobot-II was, of course, the first one to be on my case. "What's the matter girl? Do you not wish to witness the imminent doom of your friends?" the transmetal raptor jeered, backtracking so he was on my left. _Must…shove…foot…up…ass…_ I groaned, _too…drowsy…though…_ , with that final, sluggish thought, I stumbled and fell onto my hands and knees. The sound of turbines and the drone of insects' wings then closed in on me. I sensed a scolding was imminent, but, I didn't care as I began to fade...

* * *

 _When I opened my eyes, I was back in the Darksyde, my footsteps quiet and precise as I seemed to be covertly traveling through the hallways, my movements not my own as my steady (red-hued?) gaze landed on every door, every nook and cranny as I was obviously searching for something. I was also aware that my breathing was…odd. It seemed perfectly quiet save for the occasional grunt of frustration every time I stumbled upon an empty room. And…that it was a_ male _grunt. My thoughts becoming more jumbled as I reached a hover-sled, the one I was working on earlier in the day, a satisfied "ah-ha" leaving, but not leaving my lips as I started the vehicle. With more perusing of the base, I eventually reached one of the many sectors of the ship that were flooded with magma. Nothing spectacular about it…except maybe perhaps for the collection of cages above the molten rivers. Skillfully piloting the tricky vehicle, I reached a cage with a particularly sullen raptor-bot sharpening his sword, something he did every day since his capture. I couldn't form any words as I watched Dinobot stop his sulking and perk up, his red optics bulging dramatically as it took him a moment or two to recognize me, anything that came after that however, was cut off by a violent shaking-_

* * *

"-up you stupid girl!"

With a shake of the head, and blink of the eyes, I was fully conscious again. My glassy gaze becoming fully focused as I looked up into the pink optics of an irate Megatron, the tyrannosaurus snorting as his snout was mere inches from my face. "Care to tell me what _the Pit_ that was?"

"I, uh…" _don't tell him, even if it was just a dream_ "had a faint spell, that's all"

Megatron sneered, feigning concern "Perhaps this is all too much for you? I'll gladly leave you outside if you can't handle it"

 _Oh wow, Megsy's ass-clown rating just jumped dramatically,_ frowning, I realized Rampage had me slung across his vehicle mode, and that everyone had already gathered around the blast doors of the Maximal base. An incapacitated Cheetor beside a smirking Optimus, that I had the dreadful feeling _wasn't_ Optimus. _Okaaay…Monkey-Boy cannot possess a grin that devilish…it's just nigh impossible_

Wing beats fluttered above as Transmutate perched herself right next to me, her bat snout nudging my shoulder. Noticing her working attempt of comforting me, Megatron reverted to bipedal mode, grasped Transmutate by her bat wing and pulled her toward the base entrance. Rampage went rigid as his 'leader' did so, growling with feral aggression but otherwise still, not wishing to get his spark compressed. I, on the other hand, didn't have that kind of restraint. So with a snarl, I morphed my arm into a sword and lunged, slicing at the metallic flesh of Megatrons' arm.

"You little-" he hissed, but alarmingly composed himself. He chuckled darkly, "I was going to have Transmutate enter first, have her distract the Maximals…but, I realize now that _you_ would be a better choice". I didn't struggle as the tyrant tossed me through the ajar door, however, I did wince when he leaned down to whisper " _If you so much as act guilty, I won't hesitate to send one of my men to eliminate Dinobot_ ".

Funny thing, I was all too aware that he wouldn't hesitate to have Dinobots' spark snuffed, his potential allegiance be damned. The little voice at the back of my head telling me that the Utah-raptors' capture and imprisonment was no less a bargaining chip for me to cooperate. Which I had an inkling that if I did so anyway, Megatron would still have him dumped into the lava. Man, I _hated_ gut-feelings. Such as the one that grew worse as I sighed and wandered toward the Maximals' command deck. "Hello?" I shuffled miserably into the room, not paying any mind to the rushed metallic clangs of someone happy to see me.

"By the All-Spark!" Rattraps' arms nearly constricted me into an early grave, pitiful gurgling escaping my throat. "Rhinox get yer hide in 'ere and see who's back!" on cue, a set of heavy stomping entered the room, the rhinoceros-formers' red optics bulging as soon as they landed on me.

"How…-?" he shook his head, the 'miracle' before his eyes replacing all rational thought as he jogged over to form a group hug. Oh man, I felt like I died on the inside right then and there. My face was neutral, but my eyes were _screaming_ guilty. Something that was easily noticed as Rhinox dropped me and Rattrap. "What's wrong?" the Maximal engineer/medic frowned.

"I'll tell ya what's wrong! She-" Rattrap pointed accusingly (but playfully), and then crossed his arms "keeps pullin' these lil' stunts where she gets 'erself captured and makin' us worry so much to da point our sparks nearly implode, and just when we can't take it no'more – _BOOM_!" he threw his hands into the air, I flinched "She turns out just fine!". Although he was being his usual self, I still found I couldn't crack a smile, not when I could hear Megatron and all the other Predacons advancing in the hallway. My guilt increased twenty-fold as Silverbolt entered the room, his relieved smile dropping into a horrified glare (in sync with Rattrap and Rhinox) as they saw their unwelcome guests stroll into the command center, dumping an unconscious Cheetor at their feet.

"I'm sorry guys"

* * *

I grimaced upon seeing Rhinox tossed into the cage, the rhino Maximal groaning as he joined Cheetor, Rattrap, and Silverbolt, all of which had put up a fight, despite the odds not being their favor. But that's what I expected from my friends…my _family_. I know, I was such a Mary Sue at the time, allowing all that to happen. Well, not so much allowing, than it was being restrained by Inferno as he, his comrades, and Megatron all dealt with the Maximals (even Transmutate needed to participate, poor girl). And, I didn't wish to aggravate Megatron any further in fear that he would keep his promise earlier. _Useless…_

"Now…all we need to do is wait for the remainder of the Maximals to come home, yeesss" Grape-Face sneered evilly as he peered into the cage holding the Maximals, tapping on it mockingly as he eyed Rhinox. "Any idea on when that may be, hmmm?"

"When you eat slag and die" Rhinox retorted, coughing up some energon.

With a huff, Megatron sent his fist through the cage, knocking out Rhinox. "How rude"

I scowled.

* * *

I shuddered upon hearing someone enter the base; the acoustics of the volcanic cavern doing wonders to have the arrival of the Maximal reverberate across the walls. I mentally noted who was left on the team, _Blackarachnia, Depth Charge, technically Optimus but he's brainwashed…_ I shivered suddenly with the last thought.

 _Trailblazer…_

Regardless of their efforts earlier, the Predacons could not locate Trailblazer, whether it was the physical body…or a report on the recycling manifest. To say I was anxious would be an understatement.

"Hello?" a female voice called out, it belonged to Blackarachnia. Megatron's plan be damned, I tried to call out, but Dinobot-II clamped his claw over my mouth. Megatron wagged his index finger at me as if to say ' _naughty naughty_ '. I hissed at him, my eyes watching from the dark with dread as BA strutted onto the platform, " _If this is a surprise party_ …" my ears picked up on her muttering " _Somebody's eating cyber-venom_ ". My panicked eyes darted over to see 'Optimus' (really a Quickstrike controlled Optimus) lumber over toward Blackarachnia, my self-control slipping from me as I began to thrash against Dinobot-II. Megatron glared at me in exasperation as if to say ' _and_ now _you fight back?_ " and with a flick of his wrist, Dinobot-II wrapped his other arm around my whole body.

A bad move on his part as I let out an indignant high-pitched squeak and caught BA's attention almost instantly "What the-" the transmetal she-spider gasped as she noted the dark figures trying to cloak themselves with shadow. Quickstrike took that as his chance to try and grab her via a controlled Optimus, but she proved to be too swift as she slipped out of his grip and aimed her weapon at him, firing off a round. Not an anticipated move, I can tell you. Spider-Lady looked mixed parts confused, shocked, and pissed off. "Optimus, what the _slag_ was that for?! And why are the Predacons here!" _yes! You see us! Now run!_ I held my breath as she quickly back-tracked toward the rooms exit. But that breath came out as an irritated, depressed sigh as Quickstrike blocked her path with the knock-off machine and proceeded to grab her. _Right, I forgot about that –doh!_

"Blackarachnia! So good of you to join us" Megatron shot me a look, and then returned his leer to BA, "It's not really a party without all the Maximals here! Ahem-" he suddenly coughed, seeing no one else enter the room. I relished in his disappointed look. "Where is Depth Charge? _Trailblazer_?" he was almost unsure whether to include Trailblazer, probably was still under the assumption he was dead, or dying.

"Like I'm gonna tell you-" BA released a pained cry as Quickstrike squeezed her, " _Grape-Face_ " but she soldiered on. Despite sporting a new look, her sassiness stayed the same. Megatron vented an irked sigh, shooting his focus onto Rampage. "Rampage, tend to the prisoner".

Quickstrike squawked, "B-but boss! You said-!"

"Silence!"

Quickstrike cowered, or as much as he could while sitting. I almost felt bad for the guy. "You are to accompany me and Tarantulas to the Ark, understood?!"

 _The Ark –oh Primus no…!_

"Yes, boss" Quickstrikes' voice echoed from its original source and from Optimus as he shuffled morosely over toward the tyrant, ever so briefly handing a protesting BA to Rampage. I shot the Predacon crustacean a look promising ' _if you kill her, I will give you the coldest cold shoulder you will ever know_ ', not that he could read it like that specifically, but I'm sure my point got across. Even Transmutate appeared to show extreme worry for the female ex-Predacon.

"Dinobot"

Said bot snarled.

"You are to hunt down Depth Charge, and if possible, Trailblazer"

Looking a little confused at the second half of that order, Dinobot-II merely nodded and dropped me, transforming as he hastily left the room. Although I was relieved that I could stand on my own two feet again, I was less than pleased to realize that my legs were wobbly and I was feeling light-headed… _again_. I collapsed noiselessly.

* * *

 _This time I was running –wait, no,_ galloping _across a plain, Mount St Hilary looming over in the distance, it was odd, I couldn't feel them, but I knew something was off about my legs. When I say I was galloping, I mean it. I was absolutely sure it was a dream; a whacked out dream, but something, some_ one _whispered back that it wasn't. And as if to confirm this, I found my gaze, which still had a strange red hue to it suddenly glance behind me to see a figure slung over my…back? The fleshy texture with stripes covering the blue metal made me (mentally) gasp at just who I saw._

 _It was Dinobot, he appeared to have sustained some damage but was otherwise fine, though why he was slung over like the bags on a pack mule, I didn't know. Before I could view anymore of the dream, the voice that sounded so very familiar suddenly echoed…_

" _Give them hell"_

 _The dream ended-_

* * *

I awoke with a small cry before a hand on my shoulder snapped me out of it. "Cassie! By the Matrix are you okay?!" Transmutate gave me a hug, helping me to my feet as she did so. My drowsiness quickly dissipated, and in its stead, came unadulterated dread (hehe rhymes).

"How long was I out?!"

"Ten minutes"

 _Ten minutes…well that's significantly better than last time –but we need to get our asses in gear!_ I gave a gracious smile, gently easing out of the hug in favor of sprinting out of the room, dead-set on reaching the Ark. But just barely over the threshold of the room, I had the nagging feeling I was forgetting something (or someone, sensing a pattern?) before Transmutate cleared her throat, looking very sheepish as she suggested: "We should go find your spider friend…-" whatever was going to come after that was cut off as I gasped, stormed back into the room, grasped her hand, and then pulled her out with me.

It would have been easier for her to lead the way, but because I was a stubborn woman-child, I made due with just following the directions she provided while I tugged her along. The both of us not wanting to get into a silly argument as we were in too much of a hurry to save BA from our 'friend' which, as much as we loved him, knew very well how vicious he was.

"Last I saw them, they went down this corridor"

I stopped for a moment, pointing to our assumed destination with a raised brow.

"Yes, that one"

Nodding, I sprinted down the corridor, now relying on my hearing as I thought I heard a struggle from the room on the far end, not needing to bother with checking if the door was unlocked or locked (because the door was ripped off its hinges, if the giant crab-claw marks were any indication) as I reached one of the storage rooms. As I entered, I saw that Rampages' back was to me, the crab Predacon leaning to apply more pressure on his foot as he kept BA pinned. With a huff, I picked up a conveniently located wrench and whipped it as hard as I could toward its' intended destination, i.e. Rampages' head.

With an inhuman snarl, Rampage whipped around with his rocket launcher at the ready, but paused upon seeing me and Transmutate –whom had appeared behind me, timing just impeccable. Though, even with his hesitation and my -our- dear friend behind me, I was stone-still, still poised in the throwing position.

"Why did I do that?" it was adrenaline of course. I just didn't register it, well, not until it seemed to have drained away once I threw the wrench. Doh.

Green optics narrowed childishly at us, Rampage indubitably ready to either argue, scold, mock, or perhaps all of the above. However, before he could, a _levitating_ frickin' I-beam surrounded by _green energy_ plowed right into him, sending him crashing into a vast collection of spare lift-hatches. No sooner did he disappear in the mess did BA join us.

"As cute as it would have been seeing you guys and _Rampage_ bicker, I think we should really get going" the she-spider gently pushed us out of the room, clearly in a hurry.

* * *

At some point, we branched off, BA went to go deal with any of the remaining Preds still lingering in HQ, while Transmutate rushed to go free the Maximals from the confines of the cage. Thus leaving little ol' me to continue on to the Ark. Mind you, I knew they were going to catch up to me sooner than later, but the temporary absence of the two ladies surely made me a tad nervous. Particularly when I was confronted with a very unnerving sight.

"Well, _shit_ "

I stayed in the shadows as I trailed Optimus, unsure if the Big-Man was himself as he lumbered toward through the natural arch that led toward the famed Autobot ship. I paused as I heard him gasp in shock. But it wasn't because he was made aware of my arrival. Oh no, all of his absolute attention was on a _giant red dragon_ as it descended from above the opening.

I repeat: Giant. Red. _Dragon_.

 _First BA gets telekinesis, and now this, what the actual f-!_ I jumped, but stuck close to the wall as the beast of myths roared/shrieked. My mind in overdrive as I tried to recollect how it came to be. Alas, I couldn't, any details pertaining to it -or him- were lost on me from the time and stresses of being in the Beast Wars. Fortunately, I didn't need to strain too much, not when an all too familiar voice roared out.

" _Enter_ the _Dragon_!"

 _Megatron…a dragon…I'm so done…_ I sighed, tilting my head slightly as I heard jogging behind me, BA and Transmutate not aiming for a stealthy entry as their feet made metallic scraping noises as they halted in their tracks. Two sets of optics landing on them as they did so. And by default, because I was no stealth master myself, I was also seen. Feeling the gig was up, I joined the two ladies as they snapped out of their stupor and ran toward Optimus, clearly not intimidated (or if they were intimidated, they sure did a fabulous job of not showing it) as they were now in much closer proximity to the winged tyrant. Optimus, recovered from Quickstrike's control from what I could officially tell, was clearly the sane one as he hurriedly nudged us behind him, his optics never leaving Megatron as his bulk protected us. "Cassandra, Blackarachnia, at least one of you needs to get to the Ark…" he didn't bother whisper, probably knowing Megatron would hear it anyway, "but for safety's sake, you should go together". His green optics settled on Transmutate with skepticism, unsure of why a Predacon was so at ease in the presence of myself and BA. I smiled and patted his arm.

"You can trust her; I'll tell you everything when this is all over"

"Oh, I don't think so young lady" Megatron encroached on our conversation. His dragon eyes narrowing with a sneer, "You will get no such chance, not when your beloved leader is reduced to a pile of molten slag-!" with seemingly enhanced speed, he was already on Optimus. Biting, clawing, breathing fire, all of the dragon tyrant's attacks effectively prevented from reaching us as Optimus held him off.

"Go…now…!" the towering ape grunted. And being the only one to listen, BA rushed off to foil whatever Megsy and (a strangely absent) Tarantulas were planning. Whereas me and Transmutate refused to budge, the both of us had the means, and opportunity, to kick -or at least help kick- Megatron's sorry lizard ass, and we weren't too keen on passing it up. So as Optimus shoved the crazed winged lizard off of him, to recuperate from the all the slashing, Transmutate let loose. The bat-girl released her own little battle-cry as a beam of concentrated energy shot out her mouth and scored a direct hit on Megatrons' hip. It did wonders to send him reeling back, but damage wise, it seemed to only singe his armor, which only served to piss him off.

"You…" he hissed menacingly, making us tense up. I readied my blaster. "You will pay _dearly_ for that" with a swoop of the wings, Megatron was already on us, somehow bypassing Optimus as his claws stretched maliciously toward Transmutate. Out of reflex, I pushed Transmutate out of the way, much like how Trailblazer pushed Dinobot out of his deranged clones' line of fire that fateful night. No sound of struggle left me as massive claws plucked me off the ground, those same massive claws pinning me to the cavern wall, a Transmetal-II dragon snout a mere inch from my face. Dizziness again rearing its obnoxious head as fumes from Megatron's nostrils made me gag. "I really am growing tired of you as well, even with Vok technology in your system, I still find you expendable. And your constant meddling just makes it all _the more difficult to put up_ _ **with you**_ " blazing yellow reptilian eyes (yes, _eyes_ ) sunk even deeper into their sockets as Megatron's expression darkened. I refused to be scared.

"Seriously man, you want me, you want me dead. It's like you keep a daisy and you pluck petals for Primus' sake…just make up your _mind_!"

The room went deathly silent.

"If you wish…" Megatron beamed maniacally, all too happy for his final decision as he raised his other clawed appendage, "any last words?".

I looked over his shoulder to see Optimus inching forward, Transmutate behind him with a scared, but determined look on her face. I smirked. My vision swiftly clouding, "Yeah, two of 'em…" my eyes glassed over, "Breath. _Mint_ ".

I heard a roar.

* * *

 _Whatever was happening to me that day, I learned very quickly to embrace it, the experience proving to be strangely satisfying as I approached the blast doors. My eyes darted toward Dinobot every twenty seconds or so, despite his condition not changing much every time I did so. I was no longer carrying him on my 'back', but rather I was supporting him much like a crutch, a crutch that was his height, perhaps even slightly taller. As we progressed through the base, we saw the tell-tale signs of battle –a struggle that left it quite trashed. A displeased growl left me as I ushered Dinobot into the nearest functioning CR chamber, and from there, I stormed off…_

* * *

I was more subtle waking up than I was last time, not wishing to draw attention as I heard an intense showdown happening behind me, my eye cracking open just enough to see Optimus and Transmutate in an aerial battle with Megatron. _I don't know how they did it, but am I forever in their debt for being saved from Megatron's breath…_ I grunted as I stood, careful not to get roasted by Megsy as he tried to fry Transmutate but missed. I assured myself that just because the tyrant had a new fancy mode, didn't particularly mean his aim was any better. Even so, I did not wish to get caught in his crosshairs. And with cautious steps away from the bowels of the volcano, that I somehow was closer too than where I was pinned, I sat down in the shade. Debating whether or not to sneak some shots in because I really did want to help, I ultimately decided that dealing with fire-breathing dragons was not my area of expertise...as in at all. _Someday, just not now –by the Matrix, I really am soft,_ I gently prodded my right rib, only to hiss in pain, _owowowowowow happy thoughts, happy thoughts!_ As I was inwardly cursing and still poking various areas of my body, I failed to notice someone tall (to me anyway) stealthily invade my space. Only becoming aware of their presence as a hot metal hand grabbed my shoulder.

"The _Pit_ -" I whipped around, blaster at the ready. My trigger finger actually hesitating once I saw who was behind me. _What am I doing?! Shoot the bugger already!_ Tarantulas looked absolutely pitiful, but any pity that I tried to have was immediately smothered upon getting a good look at the ill-intent in his optical visor.

"So many disappointments today…at least I won't walk away empty handed" he pulled out a syringe. I kicked him away, not wanting that needle anywhere near me as all the rage from that day and the few days prior fueled me. I was not going to get captured. No siree, I was tired of the humiliation and complete hopelessness, the pain brought onto my friends…I was positively sick of it.

To reiterate: _Sick_. _Of_. _It_.

"Tarantulas…" I warned, dead-serious "Walk away". Something ugly was going to come out, and my humanity was trying so hard to rein it in.

Tarantulas chuckled, "Oh my, I've never seen _you_ like this before, is this perhaps your dark half coming out?" he stalked closer, syringe still in hand. My eye twitched.

"Tarantulas, this is your last warning…" _he's about to be on the receiving end of Primus-knows-what,_ the broiling within me only doubled. " _Walk. Away_ "

"No" he lunged. That was all 'it' needed.

My whole body changed as something cool and metallic encased it. My limbs no stranger to the morphing as they contorted into whatever my subconscious wanted, my spine extending to form a tail to compliment the change (and ripping my skirt, _sigh_ ). My sight became tinted with brilliant lavender as my brain was flooded with new information regarding my surroundings. Hypersensitivity, one would call it. And thus, I was all too aware of Tarantulas' beating spark as it tripled its' pulse as he stopped dead in his tracks, all too quickly backpedaling with a gasp, leaving the perfect opening for me to strike.

With an inhuman snarl, I then pounced.

As my claws were but a hair's width away from the scared-stiff transmetal tarantula, someone had grabbed me from behind. In seeing this, Tarantulas wasted no time in retreating, dropping the sedative-filled syringe as he transformed and revved off as if a pack of starving Scraplets were in pursuit. As I watched him leave, all my pent-up anger evaporated, but I still hadn't changed back upon reaching levelheadedness.

 _Who…?_ Exhausted, I turned to face a complete stranger, yet, NOT a complete stranger. Ruby optics beamed at the sight of me, although there was a tad of sadness in them. He was very tall, roughly Dinobots' height perhaps slightly taller, with pitch black armor that made it almost impossible to find any grooves or chinks in it, his protoform also sporting the same color. The armor itself was sleek and smooth, almost as if he didn't have any, the only hints of whatever he transformed into were these funky-looking protrusions sticking out of his back along with some bulk on his chest and arms. On top of that, he had a visor and a mouth-guard, his overall shape and features resembling closely to that of…

"Trailblazer?" there was some distortion to my voice, but he seemed to recognize it.

So I got a _wink_. "Heya Sis. Keeping true to that whole 'Give them Hell' thing aren't ya?"

I could only stare in dumb silence before I passed out from the stress of the day.

* * *

 **Out of all the chapters in this story, this is the only one that I bothered to use the horizontal lines. Mainly because there's so much going on. I'll maybe, eventually, go back and add lines to my other chapters.** **As for the story itself, how are y'all liking it so far? I surely had FUN with this chapter *grins devilishly*. And because of a reference I made, I'll say this now: I do NOT own Marvel or any of their characters! If there are any more references I made without knowing, let me know!**

 **Trailblazer FTW :)**

 **Reviews, Faves, and Follows are always appreciated!**

 **Stay beautiful :)**


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